


Plot Twist

by D0ubleFelix



Category: Mother 1 | EarthBound Zero | EarthBound Beginnings, Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound, Mother 3, Mother 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Family Issues, Fluff and Angst, Forgiveness, Friendship/Love, Growing Up, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Other, Redemption, Self-Discovery, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 01:02:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 110,158
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14863691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/D0ubleFelix/pseuds/D0ubleFelix
Summary: Lucas has been homeschooled his entire life. But now that both of his parents are gone, it's time for him to go to a real school. Things go well. However, Ness, a student from a powerful family, decides that Lucas is a suitable person to pick on. But even through the harm and humiliation, Lucas knows that there's some good in Ness. He just has to help find it.





	1. Freshly Picked

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! This is my most popular story. I started writing this in 2015, and just recently finished in 2017. This story is an example of my growth in writing. 
> 
> Please note before you read, and especially before you write a critique: The first few chapters of this story were written when I was very much a beginner in writing. The story is a bit wobbly and amateur in the beginning, so please bear through that until you get to the better chapters. 
> 
> I have changed a few things here and there, mainly editing issues and grammar. If you are new to this story, please read this version rather than the version on Fanfiction.net.

Flint had sadly died that summer. He died peacefully, his beautiful twin sons beside his hospital bed. The twins tried not to be sad as much as they could; their father wouldn't have wanted that. With no parents to guide them, the twins were on their own.

Lucas, the youngest by five minutes, was the shy, gentle twin. He had a heart shaped face with a sharp jawline and a skinny, well built figure sculpted by his many years in dance training. He had a head of neat, well groomed blonde hair, which he either had slicked back or gelled up depending on his mood. To complete his fair, porcelain skin, he had kind blue eyes.

Claus, the elder brother, was the obnoxious, exciting twin. He had similar facial features, and a similar body shape, but he was a bit lankier than Lucas. He had messy, upkept, bright red hair that he never really styled, he just sorta let it do its own thing. Unlike his brother, he had rough skin that was dotted with freckles, complimented by his vibrant, fiery green eyes.

Both twins were seventeen years of age. They lived together in an apartment in the busy streets of a bustling New York City, an apartment that they'd have to support themselves now that Flint lost his battle to cancer. It had been approximately a month after their father's death, and both were still weighed down by the sadness it brought into their lives.

Things were going well, however. Both boys had jobs, they had food and a roof over their heads, and Lucas had recently been accepted into a private academy for gifted students. Claus, who didn't go to school, seemed to be more ecstatic than Lucas was when he found out. The boys had been homeschooled their entire lives, and this would be Lucas' first time going to a real school.

This particular day was September the second, the day before the first day of school. It was a rainy, gloomy day, but Claus was still smiling and excited. In the small apartment, Lucas sat on the couch while Claus paced around the room.

"First day tomorrow! How cool! You have everything you need, yeah?" Assured Claus, looking his brother intently in the eyes.

"Yes, I do." Lucas softly replied.

"Binders? Notebooks? Pencils?"

"Yes."

"Pencil  _cases?_ "

"Yes."

"Pencil  _sharpeners?_ "

" _Yes."_

"Pencil  _lead_?"

" _Claus."_

"Alright, alright. I'm just tryna' help." Teased Claus, plopping himself down next to his twin with a huff. "So, you excited?"

"I'm am a bit, but who isn't on their first day of school, you know?" Reminded Lucas. Claus shrugged a bit and put his hands behind his head, leaning back.

"Yah, but you should be  _ultra_ nervous. You've never been to a school, like, you know, at  _all_." The ginger told him.

"Are you trying to help? Because that isn't working." Said Lucas, a joking tone in his voice. Claus stuck his tongue out and laid down, sprawling his legs over his brother's lap. Lucas attempted to push his legs away, but Claus moved them back. Lucas eventually stood up and sat back down on top of his brother.

"Oof...hey, Luc! Ack...I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I wont do it again!" Claus half laughed, half begged. Lucas gave in and let Claus sit up.

"I'm going to bed." Stated Lucas, standing up.

"Already? It's only nine."

"School starts at eight in the morning, remember?"

"Really? That's dumb. But whatever, see you tomorrow, Blondie."

Lucas barely got sleep anyways, because the minute his head hit the pillow, Claus turned up the TV's volume incredibly high, and began watching  _Say Yes to the Dress._ But somehow, over the nasal voices of the asshole mothers judging their daughter's tastes in dresses, he managed to catch a few winks.

* * *

 

The morning after was a nightmare. Lucas ended up waking up at three in the morning, and made four cups of coffee to make sure he didn't fall asleep again. An old family friend, Caroline, who was also their legal guardian at this point, came to check on them and wish Lucas the best of luck.

When Flint died, the twins were put into the care of Caroline. However, they were almost eighteen, and ready to take care of themselves. So, Caroline only came to the apartment to check on them, by legal reasons.

"Bye, Lucas! Behave! And Claus? Don't argue with any customers today, I don't want you getting fired." Caroline told the twins as they left the apartment. Claus rolled his eyes. He worked at a local coffee shop, and was very good at it. The only problem was that Claus had an incredibly short temper, especially with middle aged women arguing with him over how "Cappuccino" is pronounced. He had almost been fired many times, but the shop was understaffed, so they just had to deal with Claus and his anger issues.

As for Lucas, he was an assistant teacher for an acting class at a local theatre in the city. The class was improvisation based, for kids ages 7-13. Lucas enjoyed working with kids, especially with acting. He wasn't really passionate about it, but he was good.

"So? Do you think you'll make any friends?" Asked Claus as the two of them travelled to the bus stop. Lucas shrugged and grinned a bit.

"I guess. I wouldn't want too many, though. Maybe four or five friends." Suggested Lucas, looking down at a rock he was kicking along the road.

"That seems like a good goal. I'm sure you make some good friends. And hey, who knows. Maybe you'll find  _the one._ " Sneered Claus, nudging his brother in the side. Lucas scoffed and pushed him away.

"Enough with that, I told you I'm not interested in that kind of dating stuff."

"That's not what your diary said."

"What?"

"Nothing."

By the time they reached the bus stop, Claus' bus was already pulled up. He waved goodbye quickly, then he was gone. Lucas felt strange not getting on the bus with his brother for the first time in years. He sat down on the bench and took out his phone, pretending to browse things on it. However, he wasn't paying attention to the phone at all; he was worrying about the day ahead of him.

When his bus finally parked by, Lucas stuffed his phone into his back pocket and climbed on, sitting down at a seat in the back. He leaned against the window and stared out at the bustling city around him. As more people piled onto the bus, he began to worry more. He saw someone wearing a similar looking school uniform to his own. He panicked, realizing the uniforms looked slightly different. He wondered if he had received the wrong uniform, until he realized the other student was wearing the female uniform.

In an article that Lucas had read earlier, he learned that the first day at a new school was the most important, because that was your very first impression, and if you mess up, everyone remembers it for the rest of the year. So he had prepared for weeks on end to make sure everyone knew that he was a good person who was worth being around.

The bus finally skidded to a halt in front of a large, posh looking school. Outside, random clusters of students talked excitedly about the new school year, and how thrilled they were to finally be freshmen, seniors, and all the like. Lucas himself was to be a junior, in grade eleven. He was thankful that he wasn't a freshman. That would have made this whole ordeal all the more terrifying.

After he was practically shoved out of the bus by the other students, Lucas made his way through the crowd in the courtyard and through the doors of the school. Blue lockers lined long, white hallways. Posters of the school's soccer team and musicals they had done hung everywhere. A few other students, obviously newbies, roamed the halls as well. Lucas made his way through the hall, looking into the windows of classrooms.

In one particular classroom, he looked in and made eye contact with a boy with jet black hair, who looked his age. Only for a quick second, though. But from this boy, Lucas felt slightly threatened by the angry look in his eyes. He quickened his pace and bolted up the stairs to the second floor, where he toured around more.

"675...676...677...Here it is, 678." He muttered as he browsed lockers and found his own. Glancing at the slip of paper he had written the combination on, Lucas slowly turned the knob on the lock.

"32...16...5." Lucas read out loud. He pulled, and nothing happened. It took him a few more tries before he realized that he had to scroll past 16 two times. The locker was much bigger than he expected. It had a divider in the middle, so he decided he'd keep his backpack and jacket on the top, while supplies would go in the bottom. He spent the next five minutes setting up his locker. He checked his schedule, then double checked, then triple checked. He had Language Arts first. His Language Arts teacher was also his homeroom teacher.

Lucas set up other things, such as organizing his binders and supplying his pencil case, but all the while, he felt the cold stare of that boy in the classroom. The eye contact had only lasted a mere moment, but Lucas got so much hatred, so much annoyance from the boy's dark eyes. The sudden blare of the first period bell alerted him, and he followed the school map to room 11-3, his homeroom. Once inside, he plopped himself down into a chair and patiently waited for the teacher to arrive.

His teacher, named Mrs. Polestar, was a short, chubby woman, with fair skin and short blonde hair cut into a bob. She looked remarkably similar to the girl sitting next to Lucas.

"Alright, very exciting! A new school year is a new way to turn over a new leaf, start with a clean slate! My name is Mrs. Polestar, I will be your homeroom teacher, as well as your language arts teacher. First thing's first, we will all stand up, say our name, age, and three things about ourselves." Mrs. Polestar told the class. Starting alphabetically, each student rose up to introduce themselves.

Lucas nearly fainted when his name was called. Be shyly stood up and looked down at the floor.

"My name is...uh...Lucas Dolray...I'm seventeen years old. Three things about myself? Uh...I am in the advanced level of ballet, I have a twin brother named Claus, and I've been homeschooled my entire life until now." He announced, sitting back down immediately afterwards.

"My goodness, first time at a school in your  _life_? Well, despite how difficult that may seem, I promise we will all cooperate in making your first year a good one. Is that clear, everybody?" Mrs Polestar said. A synchronized chorus of "Yes, ma'am." filled the room.

"By the way; you're welcome to go to my daughter, Paula, for anything. She's right there." Mrs. Polestar gestured to the pretty blonde girl sitting next to Lucas. He grinned and waved a little, she smiled and waved back. As if her smile was magic, Lucas felt a lot better about the day ahead.

And then he had to write.

The assignment was a simple one; turn to page 134-145 in your Language Arts textbook, copy down any notes you suppose would be useful for the upcoming unit. Lucas, who wasn't sure what the next unit was, just copied down everything, word for word. Ignoring the ache in his wrist after about thirty minutes of writing, he began to ignore everything else, too. Including the girl next to him, who was saying something.

"Hey."

Lucas heard the call, but didn't answer. She was probably talking to someone else. But then, she tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hello?"

Lucas jumped, dropping his pencil.

"Ah…! Crap…" He stammered, reaching down to grab the pencil, which was too far away.

"Don't worry, I got it…" The girl leaned over and picked up the pencil, and handed it back to Lucas with a grin. He managed to smile back.

"Thanks, I, uh…"

"No problem, Cupcake. Louis, right?" The girl asked.

"My name is Lucas, actually. But Louis is close enough. So is 'Cupcake'." Lucas corrected.

"Right! Sorry...well, my name is Paula. I'm the teacher's daughter." Paula introduced herself, laughing.

"Paula Polestar. Catchy name, I like it."

"You flatter me! Anyways, I just wanna know if you're doing okay? Never being to a school before must be...tough."

"That's a little bit of an understatement, but, yah. It's pretty tough." Lucas admitted. He actually felt comfortable talking to Paula. Maybe making friends would be easy.

"Ouch...Well, look out for Ness." Paula warned, flinching.

"Who?"

"Nothing."

The second period bell suddenly blared. As Lucas gathered up his things and began to pack up, Paula tapped him on the shoulder again.

"Hey, if you'd be willing, would you maybe join me and my friends at lunch? That is, unless you're busy." She offered. Lucas blinked, astonished.

"Um…! Yah, okay! Are you sure it's no trouble?"

"Nah, my friends are gonna love you. We're at table #5 if you have trouble."

As the class emptied, Lucas continued to wonder. Was this planned? Did Paula actually want to be around him? What if this was just to be nice, or just to get a reputation? Whatever the reason, Lucas decided that any chance to make friends had to be taken.

Upon leaving the classroom, he bumped into another peer.

"Watch it!" The other person snapped.

"Sorry." Muttered Lucas, who sped forward to avoid a confrontation. However, he was pulled back by a strong hand.

"Hold on, buster. I didn't get a good look at your face."

Lucas met the gaze of a familiar face. He recognized the hateful eyes of the student he had seen in the classroom that morning. This student was much taller than him, having to bend over a bit to hold eye contact. He had dark, mocha skin, messy black hair, and dark blue eyes. In fact, they didn't even look blue. They looked almost violet.

"Huh...you're one of those pretty boys, aren't you?" Asked the boy, giving a lazy half smile that was half intimidating, half attractive.

"Um...I guess?" Replied Lucas, fidgeting nervously. He tried to tell himself to calm down. Maybe this boy only looked threatening? Maybe he was nice.

"I don't think I've seen your face before. You new to this school?" Observed the boy.

"Well, I'm new to this whole 'school' thing in general, actually." Responded Lucas, immediately regretting mentioning it. The grip on his shoulder loosened a bit.

"Oh, I know you...the homeschooled kid. I suppose you don't know the rules yet, huh?"

"Um...the rules? I read the student handbook, so…"

Lucas paused when he noticed the boy sniggering a bit. He glanced around nervously; what did he say? The boy turned and called to two other boys.

"Oi! Pokey! Picky! Come check this Small Fry out!"

The two boys grinned and walked over. They were both blonde, with round, smooth hair that covered the top halves of their faces. Horrifyingly ugly haircuts, Lucas observed.

"Alright, newbie. These two are my partners in crime. The taller one is Pokey, and that's his little brother, Picky." The raven haired boy introduced his friends, who smiled menacingly, "As for myself? I'm Ness."

Lucas froze. Wasn't that who Paula mentioned for him to avoid earlier? He began to put two and two together, and realized that  _maybe_ this wasn't the person he should hang around.

"Umm...hi? I'm Lucas." He stumbled with his words a little.

"Nice to meet you. Now, when I say 'rules', I don't mean the school. I'm only talking about  _my_ rules." Said Ness.

"Uhhh…"

"Let me spell it out for you. I won't take the time to list all of them, but they all narrow down to one.  _Don't disrespect me."_ Ness growled, eyes darkening.

"Well, of course I'll respect you. But why do you specifically have to make a rule of it? Why should I follow them?" Challenged Lucas, backing up a few steps in precaution.

"Here, let me rephrase my introduction. My name is Ness  _Wyman._ Does that last name sound familiar?"

Lucas froze and suddenly lost any bit of courage be had. That last name graced the whole town. It just so happened to be the name printed on the sign standing outside of the school.

"Y...your family…" Breathed Lucas.

"...Owns the school! Exactly. So, now you know. My entire family is involved with the school in some way; not to mention that my mom is the principal. She is in this building right now, and I can go ahead and tell her about a certain student who was bothering me." Ness explained, voice dark, "And as for my father...well, now that you know my last name, you probably know who he is in regards to our city's authorities." 

"I...ah...um…" Lucas wasn't sure what to say. He wondered if Ness was kidding. Surely, no student could be that powerful. But now that he thought about it, he did look quite similar to a face he'd seen on television many times; Mayor Wyman. ' _His dad is...?You've gotta be kidding me._ ' He thought. He knew this was a battle he couldn't win. Suddenly, the five minute warning bell rang.

"I'm sure you get it, now. It's simple; don't disrespect me, and you'll be okay. This includes ramming into me in the goddamn hallways." Ness raised his voice a little bit.

"I will respect you if you pay me the same back." Insisted Lucas. The taller boy grinned and snickered a bit before leaning in real close.

"I don't have to pay you  _shit_." He murmured in a honeyed voice, before violently shoving Lucas into a wall and walking away. The blond stood there for a moment, ignoring the pain in his back. No wonder Paula had told him to avoid Ness, he was terrifying. Lucas decided he'd learn more about the dark haired boy at lunch. Forcing the shock from his confrontation out of his head, he stalked to his next class.

It was going to be a  _long_ day.


	2. His Sister

"Alright, we've been a group for all of middle school, freshman year, and sophomore year. Now that we're juniors, we've got another member."

Paula, after her announcement, gestured to Lucas, who was sitting nervously next to her. He bit his lip and waved. Surprisingly, the others at the table all seemed excited to see him. Paula turned to him.

"So, you already know me, I'm Paula," She beamed, "I'd like to introduce this lovely lady next to me." She gestured to the girl beside her with a dramatic flourish.

"I'm Ana." Said the girl. She had caramel skin, and blonde hair tied into two pigtails. Lucas smiled at her. She seemed nice. The boy sitting beside her spoke up.

"You can call me Ninten. Weird name, I know, it's a nickname. My real name is Nelson, but that's stupid." He laughed. Ninten had thick black hair, that stuck out in several directions. It was practically a mess of unbrushed curls, but it still managed to look good.

"And my name's Jeff." Said the next one. When Lucas saw his hair, he was convinced his nickname was 'Coconut Head'. Blonde hair, shaved in the back and rounded at the front. His skin was incredibly pale, as if he'd never seen the sun before, and he wore large, circular glasses that reminded Lucas of the movie with the wizard in it.

"And I'm Tony." Introduced the next one. The first thing Lucas noticed about Tony was the absolute expression of kindness that came from him. He had warm brown eyes, and chestnut hair that was neatly styled into various curls.

Almost completely different from Tony was the girl sitting next to him. She had pink hair styled into a pixie mohawk, with green eyes that seemed as if they could break through brick walls. Judging by her scarred knuckles and multiple piercings, Lucas guessed she was a more rebellious type. She glanced at him, and gave him a small grin.

"I'm Kumatora." She simply told him.

"N...nice to meet you all…" Greeted Lucas. Kumatora laughed at his nervous gaze.

"I know I seem all threatening and all that, but I'm nice, I promise." She assured him. He nodded respectfully back at her with a smile. Paula saw this and gushed, putting both hands to her face.

"Isn't he so  _cute?!_ " She squealed. Lucas went red in the face as murmurs of agreement came from the others. As the lunch period continued, he learned that his new friends were a drama group. Paula, Ana, Ninten, and Tony were all into being onstage, while Jeff and Kumatora were more into lighting and sound design. Lucas was particularly impressed with Ninten, who was incredibly experienced in musical theatre. He apparently had been in several community theatre shows, and had even been on Broadway in New York once.

Lucas began to grow comfortable with these new people. He almost forgot about his horrifying encounter with Ness earlier. These new friends were really chatty, so Lucas listened more than he talked. Their conversations were all over the place, but each thing they talked about had something to do with the arts. He was a bit disappointed that none of them were as passionate about dance as he was, specifically ballet and tap. Lucas had been taking classes in each ever since he was a young child, and was in the advanced level in both.

Much to his displeasure, the fifth period bell eventually rang. He wished he could stay here with his new group of friends, but sadly, teachers began to rush students out of the cafeteria and onto their next classes.

"Well, thanks for sitting with us! I'm glad you're part of our squad now." Paula thanked him. The others all thanked Lucas as well. Hearing that made him full of newfound pride.

As he pushed his way through the bustling hallway, a stack of binders and notebooks in his arms, Lucas kept a close eye out for any...trouble. Of course, he was trying to avoid his raven haired tormentor. Thankfully, he managed to get to his language arts class without any conflicts.

That was...until he recognized the familiar, pleasing scent of chocolate and campfire smoke.

"Hey, it's Shortstack!"

' _Shit.'_ Thought Lucas. He opened up his textbook and pretended to not notice anything. The textbook was snatched from him instantly, and he looked up, annoyed, to meet the glance of Ness. Great, he shared a class with him.

" _Give it here_." He hissed with a darkened voice, reached for the book, which was raised higher into the air, out of his reach.

"Hey, hey, hey, I just wanna talk to you! Don't get all aggressive." Sneered Ness, straightening up to hold the book higher in the air, as his victim began to jump in an attempt to grab it back from him.

"I'll talk to you once you give it back. So, give it back!" Demanded Lucas.

"Sorry to tell you this, but I don't think I want to." Ness taunted. He spun around to face a classmate at the other side of the room, "Hey! Picky, catch this!" He shouted, tossing the book over to the student, who caught it easily, with mocking laughter. Lucas sprinted around desks to reach Picky, but the item was of course thrown back to Ness.

"I need that!" He protested, jogging back to Ness. Suddenly, the book was sharply handed to him as Ness sat down and stared ahead. The teacher had entered the classroom.

"Young man, please explain why you aren't in your seat?" Ordered the teacher.

"I...well, he…! They all…! I was only…!" Lucas stammered, struggling to explain himself. The teacher silenced him with a hand and pointed to his desk. Lucas nodded shamefully and slumped into his chair with a frustrated groan. When the teacher turned around to write a few things on the board, Ness turned his head to smirk evilly.

Lucas knew it wasn't a battle he could win. He was the bullying victim of possibly the most powerful student in the entire education board, telling an adult would be like trying to fly. He longed to see his new friends again, and he even tempted himself to take his phone out in class and text Claus for comfort. The language arts class was the usual introduction of the teacher, explaining what the class would be about, yadda yadda yadda. Lucas paid more attention to the clock rather than the teacher, as it slowly ticked on, getting closer and closer to the sixth period.

As soon as the bell finally rang, Lucas was the first one out the door. Quickly, he sprinted down the hallway, and began weaving his way through the crowd. Not caring if he was late for the next class or not, he ran to the first washroom he saw and collapsed against a wall, panting. He dreadfully made his way to one of the mirrors and studied his reflection. His hair was now untidy and matted, opposite of how it had looked that morning. Quickly, he turned on the faucet and quickly fixed up any strands out of place. After that, he looked fine. With a huff, he promised himself that he'd be more confident in himself for the rest of the day. He wouldn't let one person ruin his school year. Lucas managed to slip into his next classroom before the bell rang.

* * *

"Ahh! You made it home in one piece! How'd it go? Did you make any friends? Do you have a boyfriend yet? How are your classes? Is your teacher hot?"

Lucas was nearly smothered in questions from Claus the minute he stepped into the apartment.

"Ah…! Gimme some time to put my stuff away, then I'll answer everything." Assured Lucas, hanging up his backpack and jacket. After changing out of his uniform and into more comfortable clothing, he felt much better. The uniform, being dress pants, a grey checkered sweater vest, and a tie, was very uncomfortable indeed.

"Alright, Carrot Top. Ask all of that again." Lucas sat down on the couch his a huff.

"How was it?" Cried Claus, practically throwing himself at the couch. Lucas thought about what he should say.

"...Good." The blond replied. Claus' excitement toned down a bit.

"Just 'good'? What happened?" He asked, concerned. Claus knew something was up.

"Nothing, it's okay. I made a few friends!" Lucas changed the topic, and Claus gasped.

"Ooh! I'll have to meet them someday! What kind of friends are they? Are they like...sporty kids? Science kids? Stoner kids?" Quizzed Claus.

"Theatre kids." Lucas proudly replied.

"Ooohh, boy. Once you join a theatre group, you never leave. Trust me; a whole bunch of my coworkers at Starbucks are theatre kids. I have to deal with "One Day More" being turned on, full freaking volume in the break room all day." Warned Claus. He then sprang up and headed to the kitchen, humming the familiar tune from Les Miserables. Lucas watched as his brother began to heat up some water for tea, smiling at the happy bounce in his step.

Seeing his brother so happy made Lucas feel warm and fuzzy inside. Previously, he had thought that Claus would never feel happy again. But once again, he was proven wrong. However, in the back of his mind, the dark memories of his childhood haunted him.

All those years Claus spent learning how to walk again…

* * *

"What?! You stood up to him?"

Ninten, Kumatora, Lucas, and Jeff all sat around a table at a fast food restaurant. They originally came here to work on the first science project, but all convinced each other to procrastinate. Lucas had just been explaining his unfortunate encounter with Ness and his friends on the first day, making Ninten choke on the water he was drinking.

"Yes, I did! He was treating me rudely, so I did what had to be done." Replied Lucas. Kumatora flinched.

"Listen, Cupcake. I don't think you realize just how powerful this kid is." She insisted.

"Yeah, I do, and I don't care." Lucas protested. He was slightly frightened, for Kumatora seemed uncomfortable talking about Ness. But he wasn't going to let that show.

"Newbies...they always think they can take him." Muttered Jeff, steadying his glasses. Lucas began to stubbornly shoot back a reply, but Ninten spoke before he could.

"You see, Cupcake, not only does his family own the school, his cousin is a cop, and his dad is the freakin'  _mayor._ I'm not kidding. I'd just listen to Ness, rather than fight with him. He got a kid expelled once." Ninten claimed. Lucas scoffed and rolled his eyes. Certainly one student couldn't be  _that_ power hungry.

"Whatever." He muttered. Suddenly, he felt the vibration of his phone in his back pocket. He checked it, and realized he had seventeen texts from Claus. Lucas mentally cursed at himself; he'd completely forgotten to tell Claus he wouldn't be home right away. Sighing, he began to text back.

_**Pretty Boy** _ _\- Hi Claus! I'm sorry, I totally forgot to text you!_

_**Kinkmaster Brother** _ _\- :( where are you?_

- _I'm at the Tim Hortons near our apartment._

_-*gasps* luc! how dare you...traitor…_

_-TIM HORTONS IS BETTER THAN STARBUCKS. See you when I get home_

_-i never thought id hear those words come from you. See ya :p :p_

Lucas grinned and put down his phone. Ninten leaned over to try and see his screen.

"Who're you texting?" He asked, before being swatted away by Lucas.

"My brother."

"Ooh! Is he cute?"

Kumatora and Jeff groaned loudly.

" _Ninteennn…_ " Complained Jeff.

"Don't ask out his brother…you don't have to flirt with everybody. You've already tried to get Lucas." Added Kumatora. Ninten scowled at them.

"I'm not gonna ask him out! I just wanna know if he's good looking." Protested Ninten. Lucas shrugged and opened up his phone again, and began scrolling through his photo gallery to find a good picture of Claus. He stopped on a selfie the brothers had taken at the bus station about two weeks before.

"Well, we're twins, so I guess he's pretty good looking." Joked Lucas, pointing to Claus on the picture. Ninten made an impressed face, as if he was saying ' _Not bad'._

"He looks familiar…" Commented Ninten.

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Kumatora, after viewing the picture.

"You didn't say you were  _identical_  twins! It's like a copy and paste, just with different hair colours!" Laughed Jeff.

After about half an hour of talking a bit more, the friends agreed to pack up and call it a day. Before Lucas got up to leave, Ninten tapped him on the shoulder and handed him a folded slip of paper.

"Give it to your brother." He whispered, before quickly leaving the store.

And that's what Lucas did. When he arrived at the apartment, he hung up his things, and was immediately greeted by Claus and a long lecture about going out on school nights.

"You could be kidnapped without me knowing, and I would've– Ooh, what's that?" Claus stopped his lecture once Lucas handed Ninten's note to him.

"My friend wanted me to give this to you."

"...Wait, really?"

"Mmhmm."

Claus inspected the note before opening it up and reading it. His eyes suddenly went wide and a thick, crimson blush covered his face. Lucas snickered and walked over to read the note.

"What does it say?" He asked.

" _...It's his number."_ Murmured Claus.

After five minutes of Lucas giggling uncontrollably and Claus sitting on the couch, his red face in his hands, Lucas convinced Claus to pick up the phone and dial down the number on the paper. Claus put it on speaker phone, and put a hand over his brother's mouth, as he was still laughing through grit teeth. The phone rang for about thirty seconds, and Claus breathed out in relief as the message recording played.

" _Hey! This is Nelson Trinh, otherwise known as Ninten! I can't answer your call right now, so leave your name and number, and I'll call you right back! Unless you're a serial killer. Or a homophobe. Bye, now!"_

_*Click*_

" _At the tone, please leave your message."_

**Beep!**

Claus was silent. His mouth went dry and his vocal chords refused to work. Lucas made frantic hand movements, trying to get him to talk. Claus simply shook his head. Since they were twins, and they sounded the same, Lucas took matters into his own hands.

"Uh...hey." He said into the phone, trying to sound nervous and embarrassed, "I...uh...My name is Claus...my brother gave me your number for some reason...um...he told me you thought I was cute...so, I was wondering if you'd maybe like to hang out sometime? Yah...uh...bye."

The minute Lucas hung up, Claus yelled out and tackled him, pinning him to the floor.

"Why'd you do that?!" He cried. Lucas struggled underneath his brother's grasp and smirked.

"I got you a date!" He bragged.

"I haven't even met the guy! Why would you-"

The phone went off. Claus was the first one to dive for it, and froze. Ignoring it after leaving a message would be rude, but if he answered…

"Go on." Edged Lucas. Claus stared at him, bewildered, but sighed and slid this phone emoticon to the right, bringing the device to the side of his face.

"...Hello?" He answered, "Uh...no, Lucas is my brother...yah...oh, really? That's a weird name. I mean…! Not weird as in bad, I mean good! I like it! Uh...no, I don't go to school. Yes, I work at a Starbucks. The one on Tessley Street, downtown. Really! How come I never see you, then? Hold on...I've got red hair, it's kinda messy, I'm a little short...oh! I remember you! You're that kid with the red bandana, right? You always order the pumpkin spice latte! Oh, yah. Sorry I almost strangled you, hah...I have kind of a short temper…"

Lucas grinned as Claus leaned back on the couch and smiled as the conversation dragged on. He guessed that Ninten was a regular at the Starbucks he worked at. He was slightly relieved, because it would have been weird for these two to click so well after only meeting once. He decided to give Claus his privacy over the phone, and went to his own room to complete some homework. Every once in awhile, Claus would laugh happily or yell playfully.

"Finally." Smiled Lucas, "He's found that somebody."

* * *

It was raining that day, and Lucas had forgotten his umbrella. When he entered the school, he got a few whispering glances and laughs his way, probably because of his flattened, frizzy hair, which was normally neat and well kept. He made his way to the washroom and ducked under the automatic hand drier, as towels were not enough to get all the rainwater out if his hair. When his hair was reasonably dry, he walked to the mirror and tried to fix it back up with a free sample of hair gel that the school provided in the washrooms.

Classes were surprisingly quick that day. As usual, at lunch, Lucas sat down at the all too familiar table and allowed himself to unwind in the company if his friends. He even heard news that Ness was sick that day, and wasn't at school. Lucas would be able to make it through a day without being emotionally or physically harmed, and this pleased him. Though he still got the signature jab in the ribs from Pokey and his little brother, they were slow, and he managed to loose them in the hallways.

In math, a subject Lucas wasn't particularly good at, he received a test back with a perfect score. Though he was relieved, something didn't seem right. This day was going all too well.

What if the angels in heaven above were planning his death, and making his last day a good one? What if this was something the whole  _school_ was in on, even the teachers? What if the next day, he'd come in, and have all of his peers make sure he felt like crap? What if something bad was going to happen? What if his life would be ruined, forever and ever and…

"Lucas! Helloooo?" Paula snapped her fingers a few times, breaking Lucas out of his panicky trance. He looked her in the eyes and saw that her blue gaze was concerned.

"Um...yeah?" He asked shakily.

"Are you okay? I called for you like...three times. You just sorta stared on."

The two were currently doing warmups for their dance class, the final class of the day. Lucas realized he was still in an incredibly painful position, and fell limp with a groan of pain. Paula laughed, adjusting the barre higher so she could test the flexibility in her leg.

"I'm fine…" Lucas replied, gritting his teeth from the aching burn in his arms and legs. He definitely felt stretched out enough.

"Good. You seem like you're in a much better mood." Smiled Paula, swinging her leg over and inspecting herself in the mirror. Lucas glanced up at her as she fixed her hair and eyeliner.

' _She's really pretty…'_ He realized. He knew she was cute before, but now, she almost seemed angelic. The lights from the ceiling gave her skin the perfect glow, and reflected off of her hair like sunlight on gold. And to top it off, the black of her eyeliner contrasting against the icy blue in her eyes made her quite stunning. Lucas wondered if he looked that good at all. When he saw his reflection in the mirror, he sighed. Though he and Paula looked smiliar, he didn't see that special zing that his friend had in his own face.

' _It must be nice being that beautiful.'_ He internally spat, frowning.

"Alright, enough warming up! Let's get to the actual class!" Announced the dance instructor, clapping his hands and instructing the students to form a circle. The students were given an assignment to create a simple three minute dance routine in two partners, so obviously, Lucas and Paula paired up instantly. The routine was to express a human emotion, but it had to be a sincere one. For example, the emotion "sadness" could not be done, but "depression" could be used. The ideas were written down on scraps of paper and put into a box, where students then closed their eyes and picked one out randomly.

Paula and Lucas ended up getting "grief", an emotion they both knew all too well. They decided to inspire the routine off of their own past experiences, such as Lucas losing his mother and father, and Paula losing her young friends at her family's preschool she helped around with, which had caught fire two years back, and had sadly took the lives of multiple young children.

Lucas felt like he should've been sad. As they worked on their routine, he was more relieved than upset. Paula seemed pretty okay with it, too.

"Paula?" Lucas chimed suddenly. His friend looked up from her planning sheet.

"Hm?"

"How...how are you staying so happy? How am  _I_ staying so happy? We're talking about some pretty messed up stuff…" He asked her. Paula only smiled.

"Listen, Cupcake. I know this is really cliché, but hear me out. Bad things are gonna happen in life. Things that can tramautize you. But...think about it. All those kids who I used to take care of, would they really want me to be forever sad about it?" Paula quizzed.

"Well…"

"And your mom. Your dad. Wouldn't they want you to stay strong, and not dread on it? Of course it's okay to be sad about it for a while, but in time, you've gotta help yourself back up. That's what my mom told me when our cat died, when I was five." Explained Paula, her blue eyes shining with sympathy and the usual spunk. Lucas thought for a quick moment. She was right. His parents  _wouldn't_ have wanted him to let their deaths drag him down.

He thought about what Paula had told him for the rest of the class, and her words ran through his mind as he changed out of his dance attire and packed up, ready to go home. When the dismissal bell rang, he was the first out the door and into the hallway. He sprinted to his locker, grabbed any books that needed to go home, and slammed it shut. The suspicion of his day going a little too well still frightened him. But each time he thought of Paula's comfort, he was calmed down. Sometimes, your day just went well. He decided not to focus on it too much. It was Friday, and he had a class to teach tomorrow.

* * *

"Alright, reach down, touch the floor!"

It was 10:00 AM, the perfect time to teach some little kids how to act. Lucas and the main teacher, Duster, stood in front of a large group of young kids, who were all bent over, struggling to touch the floor. They were stretching, the usual schedule for the beginning of class.

"Up! Reach up, touch the ceiling!" Called Duster, and the sea of children raised, and tiny fingers spread out as far as they could go as they reached towards the sky.

"Aaaaandd...shake it all out! Alrighty, good job! We're going to split up into two groups today, now that we're all warmed up. Your challenge for this class will be harder than our usual ones. This time, instead if memorizing a script, you will be  _writing_ one. We will have the whole four hours to work on it today, and we will present next Saturday." Explained Duster. A few whispers rippled through the class.

"Over here, I have two worksheets with requirements for your scripts. You must follow  _all_ of them. When you are sorted, send one person up to fetch one of these." Lucas told the class, waving the two sheets of paper he had previously typed up the other day.

In five minutes, the class was split up. They each went to different parts of the large studio to plan and create. Meanwhile, Lucas sat down next to Duster and sighed, tired.

"What's up, Blondie? School beatin' you down?" Asked Duster, leaning back in his chair.

"More like a  _student_ is beating me down." Mumbled Lucas, chin in hand. Duster flinched.

"Uh oh, you got a predator on your tail?" He guessed. Lucas nodded solemnly. Duster clicked his teeth.

"Lemme guess...Hmmm...it's that Wyman kid, isn't it?" Said Duster.

"Who else would it be?" Lucas snickered, "He picks on everyone. But...he seems to  _really_ hate me, 'cause I'm the only one who'll stand up to him. Do you know how many texts I get every day from him threatening me?" He gestured to his phone in his back pocket.

"Well, you know what I always say. What doesn't kill ya makes you stronger, so don't let it get'cha down, kiddo. You should be proud, bein' the only one confident enough to stand up for yourself." Complimented Duster.

"Well...I think I'm losing that confidence pretty fast…" Sighed Lucas. Before his coworker could answer, one of the students came running up with a question. As Duster was led to the group to go help them, Lucas was led to the other one with a question of their own.

"Mr. Dolray, what does 'im-prow-vise' mean?" Asked the young girl leading him to her group by the hand. Lucas stooped down to read what they were confused about.

"That says 'improvise', Tracy." He explained, "It means to make up something on the spot, with no planning. So at one part in your performance, you need to have at least one completely improvised scene."

"But that sounds hard!" Tracy said, eyes wide. Lucas smiled.

"What's the point of acting without a challenge? You're a good actor, you can do it." He promised, patting her on the shoulder. Tracy gave him a bright eyed, gap-toothed smile. Immediately, she rushed to the other children in her group to explain. Lucas grinned and walked back to the two chairs at the front of the room, where Duster sat.

"She's a cute one, huh?" Suggested Duster.

"Yeah. Don't tell any of them, but Tracy's my favorite. You can tell...she's different from everyone else." Lucas insisted, gesturing to the blonde haired girl excitedly talking with her peers.

"All the other kids here, you can tell they hate it. Their parents forced 'em into this class. But Tracy, yah, I agree. Theatre is what she wants to do. She's got a passion." Agreed Duster.

"Yah."

"You get along with her surprisingly well."

"What do you mean?"

Duster's eyes widened. He covered his mouth to stifle laughter, then turned to Lucas with a smug face.

"You don't know who she is, do you?" Duster sneered.

"Er...no." Lucas replied. He watched as Duster leaned over to grab something off the floor, and hand it to him. The attendance list.

"I don't see what the big deal is, she's only a little…!  _Are you kidding me?"_ Lucas felt himself choke when he read Tracy's name on the sheet.

Tracy Ann Wyman.

Duster began to snicker as Lucas lowered the sheet, hands quivering.

" _She's Ness' sister?"_ He shakily murmured. Duster nodded with a sympathetic smile. He placed a hand on Lucas' shoulder and shook him a little.

Lucas was definitely careful about how he acted around Tracy after that. If he said something that she misinterpreted and passed on to her brother, Ness would surely spread rumors about him and the rest of the school year would become a living hell.

To his relief, the class ended quite quickly. As he said Goodbye to each student, his heartbeat began to quicken when Tracy skipped towards him and looked up. He then noticed just how much she looked like her brother. It was quite uncanny.

"Thanks for telling me what 'im-prow-vish means, or however you say it. You are my favourite teacher, even more than my teachers at school." She beamed, tugging on his shirt sleeve. Lucas mustered a smile.

"Goodness, really?" He couldn't believe he was somewhat frightened by this girl.

"Yah. I'm glad my brother signed me up for this, I can't wait to tell him about you!" She said, before happily running out of the studio. Lucas watched her go, every breath growing shallower. He lost the ability to breathe altogether when he saw Tracy run straight to two people. A middle aged woman with styled blonde hair, who Lucas guessed to be her mother, and his oh-so wonderful tormentor, Ness.

However, what Lucas saw did not disturb or frighten him. It rather made him feel...kinda jealous. Tracy ran to her family and collapsed into Ness' arms as he knelt to the floor. He laughed and said something to her, that sounded like 'How was it?'

For a moment, Lucas forgot about the physical and emotional pain he'd been going through for the past few months because of this boy. He was slightly captivated by the warm, caring look in Ness' eyes, rather than the usual cold, taunting one. Right now, Lucas saw a type of kindness in his peer that he never knew existed.

However, this changed when Tracy pointed at Lucas, who was watching from the studio door. He felt his heart nearly stop.

The minute violet eyes met blue ones, Lucas shurnk away a bit. Ness' eyes narrowed and darkened, giving an evil stare that could kill. He mouthed something to Lucas, and turned back to his sister.

" _I'm watching you, Shortstack."_

Lucas watched as the family left the building, and looked down at his hands, which were uncontrollably shivering. As he said goodbye to Duster and began to pack up, only a single thought crossed his mind. The question bit at him the whole way home, and for the rest of the day.

Is there more than one side to Ness?


	3. Growing Worse

"And then, we talked for like... _hours._ There really wasn't anybody in the movie theatre, so we just kinda talked. I didn't know he was such an interesting person! I am like... _so_ jealous of him. Did you know he was on Broadway once? We went to this cafe afterwards with  _cats!_ You just...hang out with cats while you eat food! And it was awesome, because cats and food are my two favourite things, you know? And then when I came home, we just texted for like...four hours."

Lucas was currently in the living area, sitting at the couch, completing his Geography homework. Though he was focused on the homework, he listened to every word that Claus said. Claus was currently explaining everything that had happened the previous day, Friday. He and Ninten had finally gone somewhere together. Claus suddenly stopped talking. Lucas noticed this and looked up, wondering if something was wrong, but laughed and rolled his eyes when he realized Claus was just on his phone.

"Alright...I...should...be...there...by...two...heart...heart...smiley face." He read out loud as he typed something in.

"Lemme guess, you're texting your boyfriend?" Teased Lucas.

"He's not my boyfriend! And yes, I am texting him. Problem?"

"No, none at all. Except for the fact that you are using emoticons."

"What's so wrong with that?"

"You  _hate_ emoticons. You said you thought they were 'useless' and 'mainstream'." Lucas said, gesturing to the phone.

"Uuuuhhhh...well, I just...think it's about time for me to...get out there a little bit. Gotta go!" Claus jumped to his feet and ran to the door, grabbing his bag and jacket on the way out. He was gone within seconds. Lucas blinked, shocked, then shook his head and returned to the homework. He barely even recognized his brother anymore. Weeks ago, Claus was antisocial, paranoid, and tired all the time. Now, ever since he met Ninten, he was slowly going back to his old, bubbly, exciting self.

That was the Claus that Lucas thought he'd never see again, after the accident. He could still remember waking up to police sirens and newspaper headlines…

" _Thirteen year old boy missing for three years finally found alive, in life threatening condition."_

" _Claus Dolray left paralyzed after life changing accident."_

" _Dolray family changed forever with this heartbreaking story."_

* * *

"O-oh! A babysitting job?!" Lucas stammered into the phone. He was currently leaning on the wall for support, as his legs barely worked at this point. His mouth was dry, and his hands shook.

He was speaking to the famous Nancy Wyman, AKA the principal of the Academy, AKA the mother of Ness and Tracy Wyman.

"Yes. My son told me that you teach Tracy on Saturdays, and Tracy just adores you. When our usual babysitter cancelled...well, she just  _begged_ me to contact you, love." Replied Mrs. Wyman.

"I...um...when–when would you need me?" Lucas asked, stumbling over to the calendar in the kitchen and uncapping a pen.

"This Saturday, from 6:00 to 11:00. In the evening, of course. Me and my husband are going to a dinner party, while Nesley is going off with those friends of his." Mrs. Wyman explained. Lucas scratched the date onto the correct square on the Calendar. He stifled laughter. Ness' real name was  _Nesley._ He could have some fun with that.

"I'm positive I can handle that, ma'am. Your daughter is a treasure." Insisted Lucas. He wasn't lying; Tracy was his favourite child.

"What a nice young man! I'll be sure to wave to you next time I see you at the school! Now, about payment…"

"Oh, please. I should be paying  _you_ for letting me spend time with Tracy."

"Oh, stop it!" Mrs. Wyman laughed, "Hmm...well, how does $30 per hour sound?"

Lucas went silent.  _Holy shit,_ he thought. He did the math on his head and nearly gasped upon realizing that would add up to nearly $180.

"I…! Oh, goodness, that's a little...much, don't you think?" Asked Lucas.

"No, not in my opinion." Was the reply. Lucas mentally scolded himself, he'd forgotten how wealthy the family was.

"Um, alright, then. That sounds fine." He told her.

"Wonderful! Tracy is going to be ecstatic when she finds out I booked you! See you on Saturday, love."

* * *

"What the  _fuck_ are you doing here?"

Lucas currently stood, frightened, at the door of the Wyman house. He had knocked on the front door expecting either Tracy or Nancy, but instead was greeted with Ness, who advanced on him quickly.

"I'm here to watch your sister!" Lucas quickly sputtered out, causing the other to freeze.

"Wait... _you're_ the one my mom called to watch her?"

"It seems so…?"

Suddenly, tiny footsteps alerted both boys. Tracy pushed past her brother and wrapped her arms around Lucas' arm.

"Mr. Dolray! It's so weird seeing you outside of classes!" The girl said, looking up at him, jumping excitedly.

"Lovely! He's here!" Another person, Mrs. Wyman, also pushed past Ness, "Oh, Tracy, let go of the poor boy." She instructed with a laugh, gently guiding her daughter away from Lucas.

"It's really nice to meet you in person, ma'am. You look gorgeous!" Lucas shook her hand with a smile. The woman was wearing a tight fitting black dress with a parasol in hand. She was definitely going somewhere quite fancy.

"Such a gentleman!" Swooned Mrs. Wyman dramatically. She turned to Ness, "Son, have you met this boy?" She asked.

"Oh yes, we've met," Intruded Lucas, casting a smug grin at the other boy, who glared at him, "I think we have a very  _interesting_ friendship."

"That's wonderful! My dearest Nesley is a beautiful boy, yes? The clear image of perfection, I'd say. Such a kind young man." Gushed Mrs. Wyman, cupping Ness' face in her hand. He shrugged her away with a bashful smile that Lucas knew was fake. He had to admit, this kid was a good actor.

"Gee, mom…" Ness muttered, "...shouldn't you be going, now? Dad's probably waiting for you." He explained, pointing to the inside of the house.

"Oh, goodness! You're right, I almost forgot! Alright, Lucas. Tracy's already had dinner, no need to prepare anything. We don't really have a strict bedtime for her, she can just go to sleep whenever she feels like it. I'm sorry to leave so quickly, but I'll be late if I stay anymore. Cheers! Be good, Tracy! Have a good time, Nesley!"

The minute she disappeared, Ness turned to Tracy.

"Trace, how about you go check on King for a minute?" He suggested. Tracy nodded and skipped off to find the dog. Ness then faced his enemy, eyes narrowed.

"Listen here, Shorty. If I come back and something's happened to her–"

"Nothing will happen, I promise." Assured Lucas.

" _Don't interrupt me._ If I come back and something's happened to my little sister, I'm going to make you pay the ultimate consequence. I swear, I will end you, and fake it as  _roadkill_." Ness growled, shoving Lucas not hard enough to knock him over, but hard enough to make a point. A group of people suddenly made their way near the house.

"Oi, c'mon, Raven Boy! Time to get moving!" Called one of the people. All of them were older looking students, maybe seniors.

"I'm coming, losers!" Ness called back. He began to jog towards them, but turned slightly to face Lucas.

"Oh...and...uh...don't listen to my mom. Make sure Tracy gets to bed at 9:30." He said, before joining the group of other students. Lucas stood there, at the doorway of the house, watching as the group turned a corner and disappeared.

"Mr. Dolray, why are you just standing there at the door?" Tracy's innocent voice startled him. She had come back.

"Oh! I was just...looking. Here, let's go inside." He offered, ushering the young girl into the house and closing the door. He was captivated by the interior. No wonder Ness was so full of himself; this family obviously was on the wealthier side. He followed Tracy to the main living area where she sat down on the couch and patted the area next to her, implying she wanted Lucas to join her.

"By the way, Tracy," He began as he sat down, "you don't need to call me by my last name, like you do in class."

"Dolray isn't your first name?" Breathed Tracy, eyes wide, "What's your real name?"

"Lucas." Was the simple reply.

"Okay, then I'll call you that. Why'd you bring your school bag with you, Lucius?" Asked Tracy, pointing to the backpack Lucas had brought with him. He nearly cringed upon hearing her completely butcher pronouncing his name.

"Oh, well, I was going to try and get some school work done tonight." He said.

"Like what?"

"Reading."

"What do you have to read?"

"This." Lucas reached into the bag and pulled out a copy of  _Midsummer Night's Dream_ , a book he had already read hundreds of times previously.

"That's the book Nesley has!" Exclaimed Tracy, smiling. Lucas remember that he shared an English class with the girl's brother, so he would have been assigned the same book.

"Does he read it?" Asked Lucas.

"He reads it  _all the time._ Before I go to bed at night, we read one chapter. I don't really know what's going on in the story most of the time, it has a whole bunch of big kid words. But it's nice when people read to you, so I don't really mind." She explained. Lucas got an idea. He opened the book.

"What chapter were you on?" He asked. Tracy excitedly scootched over to him.

"I can't remember, but it's when Helena is talking about how she wants to be a dog or something." Explained Tracy. Lucas recognized what part of the book she meant, and searched for the page. When he found it, he began to read out loud.

"' _And even for that do I love you the more', Swooned Helena, 'I am your spaniel; and, Demetrius, the more you beat me, I will fawn on you. Use me but as your spaniel, spurn me, strike me, neglect me, lose me, only give me leave! Unworthy as I am to follow you, what worser place can I beg in your love, than to be used as you use your dog?"_

" _Sounds familiar."_ Lucas thought to himself.

He continued to read as Tracy leaned her head on his shoulder and listened, mouth open in pure wonder. About an hour later, a few drops of rain taunted at the house's roof, until a full blown rainstorm was angrily whirling outside. Tracy shivered a bit, but she let Lucas' soothing voice calm her. By nine o'clock, she was already yawning. Lucas noticed this, and turned to her.

"You wanna go to bed?" He asked. Tracy nodded groggily. They both stood up, and Tracy pulled Lucas by the hand upstairs.

"Can I sleep in my parent's room?" She tiredly asked.

"Aren't your mom and dad gonna sleep here when they get home, though?" Asked Lucas. Tracy shook her head.

"They won't be home until tomorrow, mom told me. So can I?"

Lucas frowned a bit. He didn't feel right with leaving Tracy on her own that night. Sure, Ness would be back by eleven to look after her, but he still had a bad feeling.

"Um...sure, Tracy. You need any help getting ready, or are you good?"

"No, I'm okay. Good night!" Tracy sped off across the hall and into her parent's bedroom. Lucas smiled. He loved how each small child had some claim of independence when their parents weren't present. Just like how he and Claus were when they were little. Before what happened.

For the rest of the night, he simply finished up homework. He was slightly unnerved by the fact that Tracy would be alone with only her brother that night. Ness already treated him like dirt, he didn't even  _want_ to know how he treated his sister. But suddenly, Lucas remembered the previous Saturday. He thought of seeing Ness and thinking it was a completely different person. The smile he had seen that wasn't out of taunting.

And what about what Tracy had told him? Ness obviously cared about than their parents did, that was for sure. Lucas smiled. For once, he actually appreciated something about Ness.

And of course, that changed when his tormentor returned to the house at 11:00 sharp. He burst through the door, eyes wide.

"Where's Tracy? She's in bed, right? She's not hurt or anything?" Ness gasped for air. He'd obviously been running for a long time.

"Oh! Uh...yah, she's fine." Lucas told him. This was the first time he'd been approached by the other without some kind of threatening action. When Ness realized he was being a decent human being towards Lucas, he shook his head and narrowed his eyes.

"Looks like you actually did something right for once, Twinkles. Now  _get out of my house._ I don't need you contaminating the place I live in with your lower class lifestyle." Ness sharply pointed to the front door.

' _Aaand, there's the insult.'_ Lucas thought to himself as he packed up his homework and jogged to the door as fast as he could. He sighed in relief upon leaving the house. He managed to leave without a bruise or scratch, so that was a step in the right direction. His phone buzzed in his pocket, so he answered it to see that Claus had texted him.

**Kinkmaster Brother:** _**you all done watching the kid?** _

**Pretty Boy:** _**Yep, I'm all done. I'll be home soon, then we can hang out.** _

_**-cool! I finally got the last twilight movie, so we can watch that.** _

_**-Sounds good. See you.** _

_**-byeee ;p** _

* * *

"You got yourself on a bad situation, Cupcake. My advice? Ditch the sister, don't get involved with Ness."

Kumatora raised her legs and set her feet on the table, crossed. She, Lucas, Paula, and Ninten all sat in their usual table at Tim Horton's. Lucas had just finished explaining his predicament on Saturday to them.

"But Tracy totally loves me! Her parents are always gone, so she has no one to take care of her, so they're gonna be calling me a  _lot."_ Lucas groaned and put his face in his hands in misery. Ninten smiled and patted his shoulder.

"There there, Lemondrop. As long as you're around Ness' family, he can't do anything to you. You're safe." Ninten told him. Lucas only responded with another muffled groan, before sighing.

"No I'm not, there's no escaping him! He's like a virus that keeps coming back, no matter how many times you use a cleaner. I have tried being nice to him, forgiving him, even complimenting him! Ness hates me, and I hate him." Lucas stubbornly crossed his arms.

"Surely you don't mean that, Eyeliner?" Surprise surprise, Ness had suddenly appeared, and kneeled down to the floor and rested his arms on the table. Lucas froze in utter fear and scooted closer to Ninten. Kumatora scowled.

"What are you doing here, Asphalt-hair?" She snarled, making a threatening fist. Ness only smirked.

"I'm just here to thank this  _great_ person for watching my sister the other day. Bravo, Lucas. I have to put up with you almost  _every_ Saturday to make sure you don't sabotage her future." Ness slowly and sarcastically clapped his hands. Paula jabbed him in the shoulder with a pointed finger.

"Go away, he doesn't want to see you right now!" She spat.

"Oh, Paulette. Still as beautiful and judgy as ever." Ness said.

"Don't call me Paulette!"

"I'll call you whatever I damn please, thank you. Yawn, sigh, I'm bored with you losers. But Lucas, you'd better watch out. Because next time, no one's gonna be here to protect you." Ness hissed, his eyes practically stabbing Lucas with their hateful glimmer. As he left with the usual sway in his hips (that Lucas absolutely  _loathed),_ Kumatora slammed her fist on the table, causing some other customers in the room to turn their heads in concern.

"If this wasn't a public place, I'd teach him a lesson!" She claimed.

"Calm down, Kuma. Violence is never the right answer, you know that." Said Paula, resting a hand on Kumatora's arm.

"Yah, but I'm a rule breaker!"

" _Kuma…"_

Ninten continued to comfort Lucas, who was quivering uncontrollably.

"Hey, come on. If he gets too crazy, we'll tell the school, m'kay?" Ninten murmured to him.

"His mom is the principal, though...she'd never take it." Lucas replied.

"Well, then we'll tell the police."

" _His cousin is a cop."_

"Ninten, there's no ratting out this kid. He's just dangerous." Paula said, taking Lucas' hand into her own and gently caressing it with her thumb.

"Well, he is wrong about one thing. We'll always be here to protect Lucas. Not that you need it, but we're your friends, so you have no choice. For now, the best thing to do is ignore him." Ninten said, leaning back.

"What I'm really worried about is the pattern Ness usually follows. Normally, he gives you trouble once, then leaves you alone. But in Lucas' case, he just continues to terrorize him." Noticed Paula.

"But remember that Lucas is the first one to stand up to him. He's gonna keep on threatening him. You know what, Lucas? That's a sign that he's  _scared_ of you."

"Him, scared of me? That's a  _laugh._ " Snapped Lucas.

"No, really. He doesn't know what to do when somebody protests, so he's scared." Paula insisted. Lucas smiled at her thankfully. She smiled back and winked at him.

Wait,  _what?!_

Lucas quickly looked down, fidgeting nervously with his hands. Was Paula  _flirting_ or something? How did girls flirt? Lucas was frightened about what to do. What if Paula liked him? What if she asked him out, and he'd have to tell her tear stained face that he wasn't into girls? What if her heart was so heartbroken that she'd never speak to him again?! What if–

"Helloooo? Earth to Lucas? You doing okay?" Kumatora nudged him from across the table.

"You look like you just saw someone die." Commented Ninten.

' _Exactly, I watched my social ability die.'_ Thought Lucas. He quickly stood up and put on his jacket.

"Aww, you leaving already?" Kumatora asked.

"Uhhh...yeah, I gotta...go." Lucas replied, before quickly leaving the table and rushing out of the cafe. He felt bad for just getting up and leaving, but what else was he supposed to do?

Just in case a certain violet-eyed kid was still around, Lucas pulled his hood over until it covered most of his face. He wasn't in the mood for his daily dose of confidence loss. Luckily, he managed to get home without being stabbed or something. Walking into his warm, familiar apartment space capmed him down.

This was short lived, for he then noticed that Claus' jacket wasn't on the coat stand, and his shoes were gone. He wasn't home. So, Lucas checked his phone. No new messages. He looked around the apartment, but still, no sign of Claus.

His heartbeat began to pick up speed. Claus was always home before 3:30, and if he was going to be late, he'd at least call or text. Lucas called his brother a few times, unfortunately being met with the same voice message alert.

"Shit...Claus, where are you?" He muttered. What if something had happened? What if Claus was in the hospital because he got kidnapped or hit by a car or something? Before he could think about different ways his brother could've been murdered, he spotted a piece of paper on the kitchen counter. A small, yellow post-it note.

**I won't be here when you come home. Going to Ninten's place.**

**-Claus**

Lucas sighed in relief. He mentally cursed at Ninten for not telling him back at the café. He was happy, though. His brother seemed to be much more confident in going out. However, it was quite lonely sitting on the couch, doing his homework, with a rerun episode of  _Pretty Little Liars_  playing in the background. It was around ten o'clock at night when the front door opened and his brother finally made his way into the house, panting.

"I fucking sprinted here, man. I'm here, I'm sorry…" Claus took a moment to catch his breath, removing his shoes and hanging up his coat.

"How was it with your boyfriend?" Lucas cheekily asked.

"He's not my boyfriend, I told you! We are very close friends, that's all." Claus replied. He sat down next to his twin and immediately pulled out his phone to text someone, most likely Ninten.

"Whatever, it's late. I gotta go to bed. And next time you go out,  _call_ _me._  I nearly called the cops, asshole." Lucas lightly punched his brother in the shoulder.

"Why do I have to tell you?"

"Just...because I need to know, okay?"

"Lucas, what happened when we were kids won't happen again, I promise."

"How do you know? How do I know you won't go running into the woods again and nearly die?"

"Lucas, slow breathing. I was stupid when I was ten. I'm seventeen now."

"Whatever...you're right. You're right, I'm just freaking out. Good night." Lucas walked to his room and wearily took off his shirt, tossing it carelessly to the side of the area. With a tired groan, he fell onto his bed and curled up, hugging a pillow to himself. Almost instantly, his eyes closed, and he fell asleep. Although it was at first peaceful, he had a dream. Rather, a nightmare.

But all he remembered of it in the morning was that he woke up panting and in tears, the image of a younger Claus in a hospital bed burnt into his mind.

* * *

"Keep a steady pace! Kumatora, that is not jogging, that is running! Now you're just walking! There you go, jogging! Jeff, you aren't even trying! Get your hands out of your pockets! I don't care if it's cold! You should have gotten your coat! Lucas, that is the third time you've fallen! What? Ness is nearly two yards ahead of you, how could he have tripped you? That's enough, you just tripped over your shoelace!"

It was the last period of the day; Phys. Ed. Since it was a Wednesday, a cardio day, the class was jogging on the track field for the whole 40 minutes. Lucas was fortunate enough to share the class with Kumatora and Jeff, so he'd have someone to talk to at least. But he also had the misfortune of sharing the class with Ness, who had plenty of opportunities to "accidentally" kick out his foot, so that Lucas could "accidentally" trip.

"Wait up, Cupcake!" Lucas heard Kumatora's raspy voice behind him. He slowed down his pace to let her catch up and run steadily beside him.

"Hey, Kuma. Do you think you could be my shin guard for the rest of the class? I'm pretty sure I'll have bruises on my legs from all the times Ness has kicked me so far." Lucas explained to her. Kumatora stifled laughter and nodded.

"Sure, I'll protect your poor, weak, porcelain legs. Speaking of Raven Boy, didja hear about his new job?" Asked Kumatora.

"Oh god, let me guess. A taxidermist." Lucas joked. Kumatora laughed and pushed him softly.

"No! I mean, with his personality and all, that would make since. But seriously, I want you to think about the facts. You gotta admit that he's pretty attractive." Kumatora commented. Lucas flinched and looked at her, disgusted that she would even think of Ness in that way. But he eventually sighed and shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay. I'll admit it, even though it physically pains me to say you look past his horrible attitude and abusive habits, that boy is yummy. Anyways, go on?"

"Well, his parents took that for advantage. Long story short, you're going to be seeing Ness in almost every magazine for a while."

"Wait, they got him a  _modeling_ gig?!" Exclaimed Lucas, grimacing.

"That's right. Crazy, huh? Now, you're gonna have to put up with seeing him  _everywhere,_ not just at school." Kumatora half teased, half sympathized. Lucas dramatically cried out in distress. Suddenly, a few moments later, the gym teacher blew her whistle and ordered the class to go inside and change.

"Me and the gang are going to the theater after school to see that new horror movie coming out, you wanna come along with me after we get changed?" Kumatora asked him. Lucas thought about what needed to be done that evening, but he couldn't find anything that would conflict.

"Sure, I guess. Meet me outside the school." He told her. Kumatora nodded and they both jogged to separate changing rooms. As he quickly changed into his normal day clothing, be heard whispers behind him.

"I know, right? He's so  _skinny,_ I wonder if he's actually a girl?"

"He already acts like one."

"He needs to eat something."

"He already does. A single almond a day."

A sudden outburst of laughter from the gossipers behind him. Lucas pretended not to hear them. He knew who was doing the whispering, and that it was directed towards him. He gathered up his things and quickly darted out of the changing room. He didn't feel like dealing with Ness and his group of followers at the moment.

Upon meeting Kumatora at the door to the school, Lucas sent a quick text to Claus explaining why he wouldn't be home. They waited until the rest of their friends showed up, then began to walk. Along the way, Lucas told his friends about what was said about him back in the locker room.

"Wait, really? That's horrible!" Exclaimed Ana.

"Yah, it really is. Christ, why can't Ness just mind his own business for once? What a douchebag." Commented Ninten.

"Not to mention that Lucas was tripped by him like...fifty times today during the gym period. Look at his shins!" Kumatora motioned to Lucas, who slightly lifted the sleeve of his jeans to show multiple bruises covering his lower leg. Ana and Paula made sad, surprised gasps.

"Oh my goodness! Why didn't you tell the teacher?" Asked Paula.

"I did! She just said I fell over myself!" Cried Lucas.

"Because that's what you  _did_ , Shortstack!" Yelled a familiar voice behind them. The group of friends turned to see Pokey, followed by his little brother, followed by Ness, who was probably the one who made the remark.

"Go away!" Shouted Kumatora, taking a threatening step forward.

"It's a free country, sweetheart." Ness walked over to come face to face with her.

"Then you have the freedom to  _fuck off."_ Spat Kumatora.

"Temper! Goodness, I feel violated. Violated from Miss Kumatora, who was raised by  _transvestites._ How are your one...two...oh right,  _eight_ dads, honey?" Ness smirked, tracing a finger down the side of Kumatora's face. She swatted his hand away.

"If you're trying to hurt my feelings or something, it's not working. You got a problem with my family?" She snarled. Ness rolled his eyes.

"No, no. No problem whatsoever." He replied.

"Guess what? You  _do_ have a problem! You've got tons of problems, and all of them point to your attitude! So back off before I make you!" Kumatora swiftly grabbed the collar of Ness' jacket, causing Pokey to advance forward in defense. Ness simply raised a hand to stop him, then calmly rested the other hand on Kumatora's wrist, gently removing her hand from his collar.

"I'm appreciate if you  _didn't_ do that." He whispered.

"I'd appreciate if you didn't hurt my friends." Kumatora whispered back.

"How about I just hurt you instead?"

"As long as I get to do the same to you."

"Are you challenging me?"

"Yeah, do you wanna go?"

"I'd rather not, on account of the fact that we are in a public place. Plus, I have to go somewhere. But...listen. Just between you and me?  _Tell your Lucas friend to eat something for once_."

And with that, Ness motioned for his friends to follow him as he pushed past Kumatora, making sure to knock her into the metal fence lining the sidewalk. Once he was a fair distance away, Paula rushed to her friend's side and aided her in unhooking her hoodie from the fence.

"Ugh, that little  _pest!_ I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind one day!" Paula shouted, stamping her foot.

"Yeah, Kumatora, are you okay? He said some nasty things about your family back there." Asked Ninten. Kumatora scoffed.

"I've got enough respect for my family to  _not_ get offended by what he says." She muttered.

"Pardon my asking," Lucas began as they started walking again, "but what did he mean by 'eight dads?'"

"Exactly what he said. Well, not exactly. I was adopted by one guy and his stepbrother. One of them has three younger brothers, while the other has one brother and two cousins. All of them run a Drag Club near the South end of the city." Kumatora explained.

"That sounds nice." Remarked Lucas.

"It really is. I swear, they're the nicest people. I was in that orphanage for six years, and I got teased 'cuz I was a tomboy. But then Ionia; that's the one who adopted me, came in, took one look at me, and signed the papers. But being raised by crossdresses makes me an easy target for someone like Ness, you know?" Kumatora looked down at the ground as she kicked a rock down the sidewalk.

"But you're too confident for that, aren't you, Bear Tiger?" Said Ana, reaching up to ruffle Kumatora's hair.

"A'course I am! That little mite doesn't even make a mark on me." Boasted Kumatora, throwing her arms around Ana's shoulders and shaking her playfully. Lucas wondered how nice it would be to be as confident as Kumatora. He was strong enough to defend himself, but that was fading fast. He'd only been at this school for a few months, and he was already beginning to crumble.

Once they reached the theater, bought their tickets and sat down, Lucas began to calm down. He was still shaken up about the small confrontation that had happened back outside of the school. However, the sudden touch of Paula's arm brushing against his own distracted him from that thought, and led him to a topic that had been bothering him for a while.

He couldn't stop thinking about how much Paula had been...well,  _flirting_  with him lately. Her amount of compliments towards him had increased, so much that she'd comment on him almost every time they saw each other. When he thanked her, she'd giggle and give him a small smile. Sometimes, she'd link her arm around his, or she'd rest her head on his shoulder. It didn't bother Lucas, or make him uncomfortable, so he never bothered to ask her to stop. It was actually kind of flattering.

"How's your brother?" Paula suddenly asked a question, that caught Lucas' attention.

"What, you mean Claus? He's...doing okay, I guess. Why?" He replied.

"I dunno, I was just curious. Ninten really likes him, huh?" Paula turned to him and grinned.

"Yah, I suppose. Claus is in  _deep_ denial about it, but I'm his twin. I've seen his behaviour when he likes someone, and he's definitely got a thing for Ninten."

"Heh, yah. Um...so...how do you feel about dating?"

Paula's question made Lucas hold his breath for a minute. '  _Oh god, she's gonna ask me out. What do I say? Oh, god...Come on, Luc. Keep yourself together.'_ He panicked on the inside and stammered a bit, searching for the right words.

"I...I'm not really into it, you know? I'm more into being just friends with people." He lied. What else could he say? If he told her the truth, that he desperately wanted a relationship, she'd ask him out. Then he'd have to reject her. It was cowardly and mean, but Lucas wasn't sure how else to do it.

"Oh, I see. Funny, Ninten told me differently." Paula said, a hint of disappointment in her eyes.

"W-what did he tell you?"

"Well, he told me that your brother told him that you constantly wrote in your journal about how much you wanted a relationship."

Lucas made a mental note to stab Claus when he returned home and dump his body into a furnace.

"Oh! That? That was a diary I kept when I was...I don't know, nine? I've changed since then." He fidgeted nervously. Again, a lie. His most recent entry in that journal was from two weeks ago. Paula had a small expression of disbelief, but shrugged and faced the screen again.

Throughout the film, there were many times when Paula would claim she was tired, and lean over against Lucas, who would pray she didn't feel the pounding in his chest. She constantly "accidentally" rested her hand on top of his, and quickly pull it away, pretending to be embarrassed. Again, Lucas didn't ask her to stop. Maybe she was just growing more comfortable with him being around.

When the group left the theater and parted ways, Lucas suddenly felt a tug on his arm. It was Paula.

"Can I talk to you?" She asked. Lucas didn't know what to do, so he nodded. Paula led him to the alley beside the theater, where no one else was. She looked up at him, a concerned look on her face.

"Is...everything okay?" Asked Lucas.

"Everything's fine, I just have something really important that I've wanted to ask for...well, a while now." Paula laughed a bit.

"What is it?"

"That's just the thing, I don't know how well you'll take this. Can you just...promise not to freak out or anything?"

"Sure."

Paula took in a deep breath. She avoided eye contact for a few seconds, then looked back up at Lucas sheepishly.

"I think you already have an idea of what I'm about to ask you." She said. Lucas sighed.

"Look, Paula, I really like you and all, as a friend!  B-but there's something about me that wouldn't make it work-"

"You're gay, aren't you?" Paula interrupted. Lucas froze.

"Wait, what?"

"You're not into girls. Like, at all. Right?"

"You're...not asking me out?"

"I made it seem like I was going to, didn't I? It was all kind of an experiment. And judging by how you've been responding to my flirting, I'm pretty convinced your closet door is locked up tight." Paula insisted.

' _None of that was real?_ ' Lucas thought, before speaking, "I...um...well…"

"Of course, it's not fair for me to jump to conclusions. So, tell me yourself, Cupcake."

"You see...um...heh, I…" Lucas attempted to deny it, but finally, he sighed and shrugged, "...Yah, I am. I'm gay." He admitted, shying away from Paula's gaze. She grinned in satisfaction and playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"Great! That's all I wanted to know." She told him, before beginning to walk away.

"Wait! You're not...mad, or anything?" Lucas asked, confused.

"Why would I be? Oh, wait, I see. It's because I'm from a Christian family, isn't it?" Paula guessed.

"No offence, but...yah. I'm sorry, are you hurt or anything…?"

"Dude, chill. I'm not offended, my family gets stuff like that all the time. And why would I be mad anyways? You've seen how I act towards Ninten. And Ana. And Tony." Paula counted all three names on her finger and smiled. Lucas realized that she was right. Why was he afraid of telling her in the first place? Ninten and Ana were both bisexual, while Tony was fully gay himself.

"Heh...I guess you're right." Lucas began to walk with Paula out of the alley. They stopped once reaching the sidewalk.

"Hey, you okay? It's pretty difficult coming out to people, even to friends." Paula asked, noticing his quickened breathing and shaking hands.

"I'm okay, I just...didn't expect that go to that well." Lucas answered. Paula smiled at him and brushed a blonde strand of hair out of her face.

"We're a group of theatre kids, Luc. It's more difficult to come out as straight in the theatre community, trust me." Paula laughed, and so did Lucas. Once they said their goodbyes and parted ways, he pulled out his phone and quickly dialed up Claus.

" **Y'ello?"**

"Hey, Claus."

" **You sound unusually cheerful. What happened?"**

"I just got something off my chest to a friend of mine, that's all."

" **Well, that's good. How was the movie?"**

"It was shit. That's why I expect you to have Netflix up by the time I'm home."

" **So...Netflix and chill?"**

"Claus! Gross, we're brothers!"

" **Yah, I know, I'm jokin'. Be safe coming home."**

"Alright. Bye."

The second Lucas turned off his phone and stuck it back in his pocket, he was unexpectedly shoved from behind. Before he could cry out, a hand clamped over his mouth and his arms were pinned behind him. He knew exactly what to do in this situation; he kicked his feet out and struck the legs of whoever was attacking him. He knew he was being mugged, it had happened many times before in this city.

"Ow! Dude, what the fuck?" Shouted the attacker. Lucas stood up to face them. An older boy glared at him in annoyance and stumbled up onto his feet.

"You're not taking any of my stuff! Get out before I call the police!" Lucas told him, taking out his phone and threatening to press the emergency call button. The mugger raised his hands in defense and backed away.

"Whoa, you're a guy?" He marveled. Lucas scoffed in disgust and began to type in 911, but the other kid grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Let go of me, you creep!" Lucas yelled.

"No, wait! You don't know who I am, do you?" The kid asked. Lucas gave him a confused glance, then looked him up and down. Blonde, slick hair, hazel eyes, and smooth, ivory skin. Come to think of it, this boy was familiar. Lucas pulled his arm free and studied the boy more. This kid didn't look like the mugger type.

"Wait...you're one of Ness' minions! Uhhh...Flynn or something, right? A college student?" Asked Lucas.

"Floyd, actually. And I'm not friends with Ness anymore! Not after I realized how badly he treated people." The boy claimed, keeping a safe distance away from Lucas, who had his bag raised in defense.

"What do you mean?" Lucas asked, lowering his bag.

"I...I knew he was a little jerky, but I never knew he was that bad. I heard about what he said to your friend earlier today. My friend is a crossdresser, and if that's what Ness thinks about people like them, then I'm not interested in being around him." Floyd reached forward to gently guide Lucas' arms down.

"Wait...why are you trying to mug me anyways? Don't you come from a rich family?" Lucas asked.

"I...uh...kinda forgot my wallet at home…" Floyd shrugged awkwardly.

"Oh, for pete's sake. How much do you need?" Lucas opened up a pocket in his bag and dug around.

"2.99…" Floyd replied, rubbing the back of his neck shamefully.

"You could've just asked. Here." Lucas handed the change over and began to walk away.

"Thanks!" Called Floyd.

"Oh, and you still haven't apologized for calling me a 'Street Urchin' last month." Lucas reminded.

"Oh! Uhh...sorry about that! Heh…Have a good night…!"

Lucas rolled his eyes. A week ago, Floyd had walked by him with Ness and a few other kids and called him a Street Urchin, referring to his lower class lifestyle. What confused him is why a college student would hang out with a Junior in highschool. Come to think of it, most of Ness' friends were all older than him. Outside of school, at least.

"Try-hard." Lucas muttered.


	4. His Friends Fight His Battles

"You guys!" Ana came running down the stairs that led into Kumatora's basement. She, Ninten, Paula, and Kumatora all sat on a couple of couches surrounding a coffee table. In Ana's hand was a handful of papers.

"What's up, Pigtails?" Asked Ninten, sitting up straight and pausing the movie they were watching. Ana slightly raised the group of papers.

"I found something. About Lucas." She admitted, half shamefully, half satisfied.

"What do you mean?" Asked Paula.

"Well, really, it's about Claus." Ana mentioned, catching Ninten's full attention, "I printed out an article that I found while I was browsing the internet. Look at the picture on the front page! That looks a lot like Lucas." Ana pointed to the header image on the front page. In the photo were two boys, one with blonde hair, one with red hair.

"And that one looks like Claus!" Commented Ninten, pointing to the twin with red hair.

"Not only that, their names are in this. I'm convinced that this article kinda tells us about Lucas and Claus' past." Ana confirmed. The others stared intently, as if giving her an invitation to start reading. Ana nodded and cleared her throat.

_This past weekend, 13 year old Claus Dolray was found alive in the woods near his hometown. He was found by two hikers, who managed to hear his screams. The couple found the teenager trapped underneath a large rock that may have been the result of a landslide._

_Claus, at age 10, went missing shortly after the death of his mother, who was murdered. It is believed that the boy was overcome with grief, and took it upon himself to avenge her death by bringing justice to her killer himself. In the process, he became lost in the woods. Dolray confirmed later in the hospital that he survived off of squirrels and birds that he caught in the wilderness._

_Three days before he was found, Dolray was crushed underneath a boulder that had fallen off a nearby hill. He would have surely died if it weren't for the two hikers who had found him. The boy has begun treatment for dehydration, malnutrition, multiple infected wounds, and his legs, which have been left paralyzed by the rock. It is estimated he will be able to walk again three to four years from now._

" _I was convinced he was dead." Says Flint, Claus' father, "The loss of my wife was already painful, but the thought of losing my little boy was unimaginable. We are so grateful that he is alive and healing."_

" _We're twins, so we'd always stick together. Those three years without him were weird, I'd always see him in the corner of my eye and hear his voice late at night." Says Lucas, Claus' twin brother. The boy confirms that he has been through much needed therapy, as he would have hallucinations both auditory and visual of his supposedly dead brother multiple times a week._

Ana lowered the page and sighed.

"My printer ran out of ink before the rest could be printed. But I think we already have the general idea." She confirmed, a solemn look in her eye. Kumatora and Ninten stared at the article in utter shock, while Paula had a hand covering her mouth.

"My goodness...I knew that the twins had a troubling past, but I never thought that…" Paula never finished her sentence.

"No wonder Claus always has that sad look in his eye...even when he's happy, his face just looks...broken in a way." Ninten commented. Kumatora didn't say anything. She looked down at the photo on the article and studied it. It was a family group picture, with a man and a woman she guessed to be the twin's parents, with the two brothers standing next to each other, smiling innocently.

"Where'd you find this?" Kumatora asked.

"I was doing that thing where you look up the names of friends and family on Google and see what you can find, and that news story was the first thing that came up when I searched up Lucas." Ana said.

"Well, we can't let him know. We have to keep this a secret from him." Paula insisted, earning a nod of agreement from everyone else.

"He's already got enough dragging him down, let's not make it worse." Agreed Ninten.

"I just feel so bad, no child deserves to go through any of that. Especially Lucas, he's such a kind-hearted boy." Paula said.

"Well, now we know what to not mention around him." Said Kumatora. She laid back into the couch, hands behind her head, sighing, "Let's not think about it. Both of them are fine now, so let's not dwell. I already feel bad for intruding on their privacy."

The others agreed and joined her on the couch. But even through the rest of the night, none of them could shake off the sinking feeling. And all of them continued to wonder what else had gone on with that pair of twins.

* * *

"Kumatora, what on Earth were you  _thinking?_ You could've gotten suspended!"

Lucas sat with Kumatora in the nurse's office. The tomboy had multiple bruises covering her arms, face, and neck, as well as a bloody nose and a torn jacket. She scoffed, stubbornly.

"That little chickpea asked for it." She muttered, turning away from Lucas, who sighed.

"Out of all the people you could've chosen to fight today, you had to pick Ness? You know how powerful that kid is, what did he say that made you attack him?" Asked Lucas, placing a reassuring hand on her arm.

"Ness was the one who attacked me first! He asked me how my "tranny father" was doing, and I asked him how his "whore sister" was doing. That just set him off." Kumatora explained. Lucas flinched.

"He's  _really_ protective of his sister, Kuma. More than you'd expect. Tracy's like...the only thing he legitimately cares about anymore." He told her. Kumatora clicked her teeth and turned away from him. Suddenly, a small drop of blood began to run down her lips.

"Shit, my nose is bleeding again. Can you reach over there and grab a tissue?" She asked, pinching the bridge of her nose tightly. Lucas nodded and handed her a tissue, and she gave him a quick pat on the shoulder in thanks. At that point, two people walked into the room. The school's principal and the guidance counselor.

"Good afternoon, Kumatora. And you too, Lucas." The principal greeted, sitting down on a stool in front of the two students. Lucas gave a small, polite wave, while Kumatora rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"Now, I understand that you got into a bit of a... _scuffle_  with my son." The Principal recalled, a slight look of disgust on her face.

"I guess." Kumatora muttered.

"Well, I'm here to help. I've known you for almost three years, Kumatora. And although I knew you were a bit aggressive, I could never imagine you hurting someone else. I called Lucas here with us because I heard through other students that he was a witness to this unfortunate event." The guidance counselor, Wes, gestured to Lucas. Wes just so happened to be the father of Duster.

"I was, sir. Yes." Lucas confirmed.

"Well, let's talk about it. What sparked that anger in you, Kumatora? Was it something that boy said, or something else?" Asked Wes.

"He said that–!" Kumatora cut herself off, catching Lucas' glance. He sent her a stare that said 'Be careful'. She hesitated, "I was having kind of a bad day, and Ness accidentally bumped into me. I was kinda having enough this morning, so I lost my temper and pushed him. I guess we both kind of got too competitive." Kumatora falsely explained. Lucas was impressed she could make up a lie that quick. Both adults in front of them nodded understandingly.

"I get it. You were so frustrated that even being pushed a bit irritated you enough to attack someone. There's no need to be ashamed, Kumatora, I understand. We all have those days." Wes said. Lucas tried not to laugh, knowing that Kumatora was incredibly annoyed at the moment by the fact that this grown man who was most likely in his sixties was trying to relate to her.

The four of them talked for a while longer, until the final bell rang and students were dismissed. Unfortunately, Kumatora wasn't entirely off the hook. She was given a week of detention and lunchroom duty. She quickly left the room, but Lucas was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. He turned to meet the eyes of his principal.

"Lucas, darling, would you be willing to watch Tracy again on Sunday?" She asked.

"Ummm...sure, ma'am. I think I can manage that." He said. She thanked him quickly and they left the room. As Lucas sat on the bus heading home, he thought about Kumatora's wounds. He flinched upon remembering the bruises all over her arms and face. They weren't the usual small dark brown spot, they were a sickly shade of purple. Which meant that if Ness could hit, he could hit  _hard._ He mentally crossed his fingers hoping that he'd never have to have a violent encounter like that.

The minute he stepped off the bus, he spotted Paula and Ninten just a few feet near the bus stop.

"You guys! Hey, what're you doing here?" Lucas asked, walking towards them.

"Your brother wanted to meet everyone, so he asked if we could come to your place. You don't mind, do you?" Paula asked. Lucas was a bit shocked at this. Claus never invited people over, especially people he didn't know.

"Uh, sure! So everybody else is coming?" Lucas asked.

"Yah, they're all late. Can we come inside with you?" Ninten asked him, pointing to the apartment building behind the bus stop. Lucas shrugged and motioned for them to follow.

"Oh, and, uh...Luc? We think that we should talk to Claus about...you know, your issues with you-know-who." Paula mentioned. Lucas suddenly stopped dead in his tracks, heart pounding.

"No! No, I'm begging you guys, please don't tell Claus!" He pleaded, desperatley grabbing hold of Paula's hand. Her eyes widened and she stepped back a bit.

"Why not? The only way to get Ness to leave you alone is more support!" She insisted.

"No. No matter what, we  _cannot_ tell Claus. He gets  _so_ protective in these kinds of situations, and he's already busy enough. I can take care of Ness on my own, just please,  _please_ don't mention him around my brother." Lucas protested. Paula and Ninten looked at each other, concerned, but nodded and began to follow Lucas again. When they entered the apartment, Claus was immediately up on his feet and greeting them.

"You must be Paula!" Claus exclaimed, shaking her hand.

"That would be me! And by the looks of it," Paula turned her head to look at Claus, then at Lucas, and alternated a few times, "I'm taking a lucky guess; you're his brother." She laughed.

" _Whaaat?_ What gave you that idea, we look nothing alike!" Lucas exclaimed jokingly. More laughter from everybody.

"Haha...well, it's very nice to meet you, Claus. I've heard so much about you from Romeo over here." Paula said, pointing at Ninten, who glared at her.

"Really? I've heard so much about  _you._ When my brother came home during the first few months of being at your school, you were  _all_ he talked about. ' _Claus, oh my god! She is so nice, I swear to god!'"_ Claus imitated his brother by raising his voice. Lucas elbowed him.

"I don't sound like that! You could've just used your normal voice, you know. It's not like we sound totally different." He said. The four of them spoke in the living room for a few more minutes until the buzzer sounded.

"Uhhh...this is the right one, yeah? This is Jeff! Jeffery Andonuts! How does this thing work?"

"Jeff, this is Ninten. Come on up." Ninten said into the speaker near the door. Five minutes later, Jeff, Tony, Ana,Kumatora, and surprisingly, Floyd.

"Floyd? What're you doing here?" Asked Lucas. The older boy sheepishly laughed.

"I, uh...saw your friends outside, and I found out they were visiting you, so I thought...why not? I can leave if you want." Floyd responded.

"Nonsense, you're welcome here any time. Everyone, I want you to meet my brother. This is Claus." Lucas gestured to his twin, who waved excitedly. Claus seemed very interested in his new acquaintances, for he spent the next half hour learning about each of them.

Eventually, much to Lucas' displeasure, Floyd brought up his least favourite person.

"So, how's Ness been treating you lately?" He asked. Lucas' heart dropped, and he quickly turned to Claus. He'd forgotten to ask his other friends to keep his situation a secret.

"Uuhhhh...Claus! Your phone is ringing!" Lucas quickly said, pointing to his twin's bedroom. Claus raised an eyebrow.

"My phone's right here." He held up his smartphone.

"Ummm... _my_ phone is ringing! Could you...could you go get it for me?" Without even giving Claus time to answer, Lucas helped him to his feet and practically shoved his brother to the hallway that led to his room.

"Dude, what are you–" Floyd began. Lucas shushed him and made a zipping motion across his mouth, signaling for him to be quiet.

" _Claus doesn't know about Ness yet._   _Let's keep it that way._ " He muttered through clenched teeth. Floyd blinked, confused, but nodded anyways. Right at that moment, Claus returned to the living room.

"Bro, I couldn't find your phone, sorry. Why are you looking at me like that?" Claus asked, sitting down on the couch between Ninten and Tony.

"Uuuhh...maybe it was just my imagination! Thanks anyways. Sooo...let's change the subject." Lucas insisted, trying to seem as unsuspicious as possible.

"No, no. I wanna know who this 'Ness' guy is that Floyd was talking about, is he a friend of yours?" Claus asked. Paula stifled laughter, earning a dirty glare from Lucas. He began to stammer.

"He's...uh...well, it's kinda hard to explain. He–"

"–is his boyfriend!" Ninten chimed, interrupting Lucas, who felt the urge to shove Ninten underwater until he drowned. His friend cast him a smug, teasing grin. Lucas managed to keep control of his need to shout an endless spiel of swears at Ninten, and instead nodded nervously.

"Y–yah! Well, not exactly. He's not a boyfriend as in 'lover', he's a boy, and he's my friend. Heheh...get it?" Lucas explained, desperately hoping that his brother would buy the story.

"Ooohh, I get it. It's like when a group of girls call each other their 'girlfriends'. Well, anyways, I wanna meet him! Can he come tonight?" Claus asked.

"No!" Cried everybody else all at once. Claus raised his hands in a defensive position, then slowly lowered them, confused.

"Um...we mean...Ness is really...not into social situations. He's really reserved, you know?" Floyd claimed, and the others all nodded to confirm.

"Ohh, I see." Said Claus, a slightly sad tone in his voice. Lucas knew his twin was thinking about how antisocial he used to be himself. He reminded himself that Claus was a strong young man, and would never let bad memories like that get the best of him.

For the rest of the evening, the group talked and became more friendly with Claus. By the time it was 8:00, they already spoke to him as if they'd known him for months. It was also around that time when people began to leave. The only person remaining by 8:30 was Ninten, who decided he'd stay the night, as he didn't have a ride back home and didn't want to take the bus at night.

Lucas decided to go to bed early that night, as he had an early doctor's appointment the next morning. When he said goodnight, he didn't even get a reply from Claus or Ninten, who were sitting together on the couch, wrapped up in their own little conversation. Lucas rolled his eyes and turned to walk to his bedroom. Even with the door closed, he could still hear the conversation outside, but couldn't make out what they were saying. At one point, the talking began to become less frequent, and then stopped entirely.

' _They must have fallen asleep.'_ Thought Lucas. He smiled to himself, satisfied. Now he could actually get some sleep himself. Unfortunately, this was short lived.

* * *

He was woken up early the next morning with Claus knocking on his bedroom door.

"Lucas! Wake up, man! I have something to tell you!" He cried. Lucas shot up, terrified that something had happened, but Claus didn't sound scared or anything. He sounded excited.

"What's up?" Asked Lucas as he opened the door. Claus grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen, where he then sat him down on one of the chairs.

"So last night...you know how Ninten stayed over?" Began Claus.

"Yah, where is he, by the way?" Lucas asked.

"He left at like...six this morning. Anyways, I woke up about ten minutes ago, and I only just realized this." Claus said, pausing for a moment.

"What?" Lucas quizzed. Claus took both of his hands and squeezed them tight.

" _No nightmares_." He whispered, his eyes gleaming. Lucas' jaw dropped.

"Wait, you're serious? None?" He confirmed.

"None whatsoever!" Claus threw his hands in the air. Lucas squealed in excitement and hugged his brother tightly, lifting him off the ground and spinning.

"You're absolutely sure?" Lucas needed assurance. Ever since Claus had returned from the hospital years ago, he had been suffering from awful nightmares each night, which even sometimes ended up with him waking up screaming.

"I am  _positive._ I...I know this sounds crazy, but…" Claus didn't finish his sentence. A small tint of red crossed his face, and he began to shift uncomfortably.

"But what?"

"I think it might be because of Ninten."

Lucas, although he saw this coming, was surprised. He knew that Claus' life had gotten progressively better since meeting Ninten, but he never thought that he'd be able to stop having nightmares simply because of that. Then, Claus spoke up again, voice hushed.

"When we were talking last night...I told him about...you know." He admitted. Lucas gasped.

"I thought we swore we'd never tell anyone about you going missing!" He reminded.

"I know, I know, but he noticed mom and dad's shrine, and...well, I couldn't control myself. Don't worry, I made him swear not to tell anyone. Anyways, after I finished, he just kinda…" Claus wrapped him arms around himself, "...held me. Like this. And he started whispering things to me, like 'It'll be okay' and 'You're so brave'. And...well, I fell asleep, and next thing I know, I'm awake feeling more safe than I ever have." Claus finished with a smile on his face. Lucas found it difficult to be upset about his brother telling their deepest secret; he was so proud.

"That's incredible, oh my gosh…" Lucas breathed.

"Yah, I know."

"And you think that–"

"I'm in love with him."

Lucas paused. What Claus had confessed to him had been so predictable, but so sudden. He stared at his brother, mouth open in shock, eyes wide. Claus bit his lower lip and held eye contact, sweating nervously.

"You...really? I mean, I kinda guessed that, but...I'm just surprised that you're actually admitting it now!" Lucas told him, shrugging. Claus laughed and put a hand over his face to hide the fact that his blush was growing darker.

"I figured...the first one I had to confess to was me. So...yah. Not straight." He said. Lucas grinned and hugged him again, tighter this time.

"Four years ago...did you ever think your life would be so perfect?" He murmured. Claus' grip on his shirt tightened.

"I never even thought I'd be happy again…" Claus replied, sniffling. Lucas rolled his eyes and pulled away.

"Don't start crying, you baby." He teased, punching Claus lightly. Claus laughed and wiped at his eye.

"You're the one who sobbed for two hours because you found out that fruit flies only live for a day." Claus shot back. Lucas scoffed and walked away, grabbing his coat off of the rack near the door and put it on, then grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.

"Well, I've got a class full of kids I need to teach up. It's 9:00, won't you be late for your own job?" Lucas gestured to the clock beside him.

"I...think I'll call in sick today." Claus said, smiling. Lucas could tell he wasn't actually sick, but he understood why his brother wanted to stay home. He couldn't even begin to know how horrible it must have been to have night terrors every single night for three years, and he definitely couldn't begin to know how incredible it must have felt to suddenly sleep soundly after all of that pain.

"Alright. I'll see you later, man." Lucas said, and he left the room, locking the door behind him. As he travelled out of the apartment and down the familiar route to his bus stop, he couldn't help but feel overwhelming pride for his twin. He ignored the few concerned glances from strangers who noticed he was smiling a little too much for 9:00 in the morning, and even brushed off Duster when he entered the studio.

"You seem chipper today, kid." Duster commented, as he put down whatever paperwork he was working on.

"I got good news today." Lucas simply replied, pulling off his sneakers and replacing them with his dance shoes.

"Mmm, if anyone needs that right now, it's you. How's school going?" Asked Duster, sitting down in his usual chair with a tired grunt. Lucas did the same in the chair next to him and sighed.

"Just as hellish as you'd expect. You know Ness? He got into a fight with my friend. They beat the crap out of each other, and I had to bail my friend out of being suspended or something, _then_ I had to deal with your annoying dad." He complained, earning a chuckle from Duster.

"Yah, my dad's a loser. But still, look who's got an exciting high school life. I remember when I was your age, I got in a fistfight almost every day. Every troublesome kid has that supporting friend, and you have the misfortune of being that friend. You also have the misfortune of being Ness' bail 'friend'." Duster recalled, leaning back.

"I'm just so frustrated! I don't like to hate people, but I hate that stupid, arrogant, obnoxious... _awesome, wonderful person_ who has the best sister in the world! Good morning, Tracy!" Lucas' tone of voice changed in almost an instant as the young girl enthusiastically skipped into the studio.

"Good morning, Mr. Dolray and Mr. Van Wolfe!" Tracy greeted, as she neatly set her coat and backpack against the back wall and began to untie her shoes. Lucas turned to give Duster a terrified, 'that was close' look. Duster's lower lip quivered, as he tried to hold in laughter.

"How's your week been?" Asked Lucas. Tracy looked up at him and gave him a gap-toothed smile.

"Very nice! The other day, me, my mom and dad,  _and_  my big brother all spent the  _whole_  day together. I can't remember the last time we did that!" She exclaimed. Lucas couldn't help but feel a small bit of sympathy of the family. No matter how much he absolutely despised Ness, no child deserved to be neglected by parents.

"That  _is_ very nice, Tracy. How is your brother?" Lucas asked out of sheer curiosity. Tracy giggled.

"Nesley's doing okay. Yesterday, he said he wishes you were dead, but I'm pretty sure he was joking." She told him. Lucas forced a fake laugh, but on the inside, he felt his blood run cold. Ness wanted him dead now, and that couldn't be good. Although it was unlikely, he couldn't shake off the feeling that he'd meet the blade of a knife in his chest in the next few days.

" _If you murder me, I hope your mugshot looks awful."_ Lucas mentally swore, as if sending the message telepathically to his nemesis. He forced the negative thoughts out of his mind as more kids began to enter the studio.

The class seemed to fly by quickly, and before he even knew it, he was escorting the last child out into the lobby to his parents. Once the kid was gone, Duster burst into hysterical laughter and leaned against a wall for support. Lucas glared at him as he began to pack up his things.

"Wow, he wishes y-you were dead, haha! Ohhhh my god, kid. You're screwed! That poor little girl has no idea, my god…!" Duster gasped, placing a hand over his mouth to try and stop the laughter.

"You're being really helpful, thanks." Lucas said angrily. Duster rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Oh, please. You're a big kid, you should know when I'm joking. Look, Kiddo. Just keep on doing what you're doing. Don't let him know he's getting to you, stand your ground. You can do that, can't ya'?" He asked.

"Yah, I guess. I just don't know for how long." Lucas admitted. He was too modest to tell Duster how much his motivation actually meant to him. It seemed as if every Saturday, his half-empty mood would be turned half-full by his coworker, and he was grateful. He began to understand how Claus felt when he was around Ninten. Everybody had that one person that just made their day better.

On the bus home, Lucas' newfound good mood was once again ruined. On the seats next to him sat two girls who looked to be his age, who were both sharing a magazine. They were talking in hushed voice to each other, but he could make out what they were saying.

"He is  _so_ hot, oh my god."

"Did you know he's the mayor's son? I read that somewhere online."

"Really? Imagine being his girlfriend!"

"Don't even get started, that would be paradise!"

"I also read that he said he was growing out his hair so that he could donate it to cancer victims."

"Oh my goodness, what an angel!"

Lucas rolled his eyes and tried to drown out the girl's marveling. He knew that Ness was the topic of their conversation, and desperately wanted to let them know of what it would actually be like to know him personally.

Finally, the bus screeched to a halt at his bus stop, and Lucas was the first to sprint off. Surprisingly, Claus happened to be outside as well.

"Hey, brother! What're you doing out here, I thought you were 'sick'." Lucas asked him.

"I saw a news report that said there were like...ten muggings this morning, so I didn't feel comfortable with you being out here by yourself." Claus said.

"Dude, I'm seventeen. I can take care of myself, you know that." Replied Lucas, as he took his brother's arm and they began to walk.

"I know, I know." Claus admitted. Instead of entering the apartment building, the twins walked right past it and continued down the sidewalk.

"Where are we going?" Asked Lucas. Claus shrugged.

"I don't know. We haven't hung out in a long time, let's just go find something to do." He said. Lucas gave him a suspicious look.

"We're meeting Ninten somewhere, aren't we? There weren't any muggings." He guessed. Claus hung his head.

" _I'm too scared to talk to him alone_!" He whispered.

"Oh, come  _on_."

"No…! This is the first time I've ever fallen in love in my  _life,_ and I have no idea how to deal with it." Claus said through clenched teeth.

"You'll be fi–  _there he is_!" Lucas pointed in a random direction, and Claus quickly pulled the hood of his jacket over his face.

"Where?!" He cried.

"Joking." Lucas grinned.

" _You son of a–_!" Claus nearly attacked him, but realized he was still in public, and calmed down. He dug his fingernails into Lucas' arm.

"You pull a stunt like that again and you're  _dead."_ Claus threatened, obviously embarrassed.

"I love you too." Lucas responded smugly.

* * *

"There are three different techniques in conflict when it comes to story writing. Can anyone name them? No? Nobody? Self vs. Self, Self vs. Society, and Self vs. Others. What I mean by that is…"

A small crumple of paper flew onto Lucas' desk. His eyes shifted and he caught sight of Kumatora gesturing for him to read the note she had passed. He obliged.

' _How did Sunday go?'_

Quickly, he scribbled down his reply, and tossed the note back to her.

' _If you're talking about how watching Tracy went, it has good. If you're asking about what happened afterwards, fucking awful.'_

Kumatora looked up from the note and mouthed to him, " _What happened?"_

" _Ness happened."_ Lucas replied silently _._

" _What'd he do?"_

Lucas lifted up the sleeve to his dress shirt, revealing a large bruise on his arm. Kumatora cringed and shook her head. She wrote something down on the note and threw it to him.

' _That kid is brutal_.'

The teacher turned around to face the class, and Lucas and Kumatora stared ahead and sat up straight to avoid getting caught. Thankfully, the bell rang and the two quickly packed up and headed to the cafeteria for lunch.

"Jesus Christ, this is the first time Ness has ever legitimately  _hurt_ you. I mean, physically, at least." Kumatora said.

"Yah, I know. He's pushed me into lockers before, and he always does that annoying thing where he holds my arm behind my back, but he's never actually  _hurt_ me. I'm getting kinda worried." Lucas explained. Upon arriving at their usual lunch table, they were greeted by Tony.

"Hey, guys." He said, giving a small wave. Lucas immediately noticed that something was wrong. Tony always greeted them with a cheerful attitude, but he seemed down today.

"Hi, Tony. What's up? You sound unhappy." Observed Kumatora.

"Well, auditions are up for the school musical, and I'm gonna be out of town for all of them." Tony explained.

"Wait, they never announced auditions! What show is it this year?" Asked Lucas.

"Les Miserables, the usual high school performance."

"Oooh, cool. Well, I'm sorry you can't make the auditions. Maybe you can help out with lights and sound or something." Suggested Kumatora.

"Yah, I guess. It's just that Les Mis is a total classic, and it's been my dream to perform in it ever since I was a kid." Tony said.

"You could always just audition via video." Paula suddenly appeared and sat down in her usual seat.

"Hey, Princess!" Greeted Kumatora.

"Hey there! Cupcake, Bear-Tiger, Nutmeg." Paula high fived each friend with the respective nickname. Ana, Ninten, and Jeff all arrived not too long after Paula. Tony once again brought up his situation.

"I'm with Paula, just tell them why you can't make it to auditions, and ask if you can just send a video." Ana said.

"Yeah, I know a few people who've done that. You'll be fine." Assured Ninten.

"Yah, you'll be  _fine_." A new voice invaded the conversation. A hand rested on Tony's shoulder and gripped hard. Standing above him was Pokey, his little brother not far behind him.

"What are you freaks doing here?" Demanded Kumatora, reaching over and pushing his hand off of Tony's shoulder.

"Our usual lunch table is all filled up. Our pal Ness has gotten a  _lot_ more girls following him around ever since that magazine article with him in it was published." Pokey explained, pointing to the table he used to sit at, which of course, was overflowing with other students. However, of course, Ness just  _had_ to glance over and make eye contact.

"Well, looks like one seat just opened." Muttered Paula, glaring at Ness, who jogged over to their table.

"Pokey, Picky, my men. What're you doing over here?" He asked, slapping both of his friends on the back.

"We wanted to see how our little group of thespians were doing, Nessie." Explained Picky.

"Oh, that's right. How're you doing, Blondie? I haven't checked up on you, lately." Ness asked, gesturing towards Lucas.

" _Fine_." Lucas spat.

"Yikes, someone's mad about something. Guys, we'd better leave, looks like we've got a badass over here!" Ness exclaimed, laughing obnoxiously afterwards.

"Well, at least he's more of a badass than you, because he actually stands up for himself." Defended Ana.

"Oh, really? Then how 'bout this. Has anyone noticed a  _slight_ change in Lucas today? Anyone? He's wearing his sleeves down. I've spent enough time around this loser to know that he  _always_ wears his sleeves  _up._ " Ness claimed. Lucas froze. He'd been wearing his sleeves down to cover up the bruise on his arm.

"I'm wearing them down to cover up the mark you left on me." Insisted Lucas, trying to add growl to his voice to sound somewhat threatening.

"Are you sure you're not trying to cover up any marks you've possibly left on  _yourself?_ " Ness shot back. Ninten, who'd been trying to stop himself from getting involved, had finally snapped. He pushed Ness away from him forcefully, despite the pleas from his friends to stop.

"You're  _sick!"_ He cried, advancing forwards to try and attack Ness. He was held back by Kumatora, who obviously didn't want to be involved in another fight. Ness, who was also losing his temper a bit, was being held back by Pokey.

"You stay the hell out of this,  _pretty boy!_ " He shouted, struggling against his friend's arms.

"Don't  _fucking_ call me that!" Ninten protested. Lucas had never heard his friend swear in an offensive sense, or even raise his voice at someone else in anger. Ninten had always seemed to be a chill, laid back kid.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I forgot how  _delicate_  you theatre people were!"

" _Delicate?!_ Since when was theatre 'delicate'?!"

"When it was created for people who want to waste potential, that's what!"

"A career in theatre is  _not_ a waste of potential, you little mutt! It is an art that needs to be respected!"

"You're the mutt here, I'm what you could call a purebred! The one that everyone adopts because they're  _perfect!_  People only adopt mutts because they feel  _sorry_ for their miserable lives!"

_That's it!"_

Ninten, out of adrenaline, managed to break free from Kumatora's grasp and grab Ness by the collar of his shirt. The two boys managed to be pulled apart before a fight could break out, and thankfully, no supervising teachers were in the cafeteria at the moment, so no detentions or suspensions were made. However, as Ninten was dragged away by his friends, he spouted a long line of insults at Ness until they reached the hallway.

The moment they were outside of the cafeteria, Kumatora let go of Ninten, who then burst into tears.

"I can't believe I just  _did that!"_ He exclaimed, backing up against a wall and sliding down to the floor, hiding his face in his hands. His friends all gathered around him. Lucas put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, Ninten, don't beat yourself up over it. Everyone loses their temper at some point, it's okay." He assured. Ninten shook his head.

"No...no, it's not...I'm so sorry, Lucas, I should've left it alone. Just...what he said about you, dude. I couldn't let that slide!" He hugged his knees to his chest.

"You and I both know he was  _trying_ to make one of us snap. You know he was making up shit, Ninten. I have respect for myself, and I know my body is precious, I'd never even think of hurting myself." Comforted Lucas. He took one of Ninten's hands and gripped it tightly.

"Lucas is right, man. It's  _okay_. Ness is just a fucked up kid, that's just the way it is. We can't control it. But what we can control is how we respond." Ana told him, taking his other hand.

"I know...I'm just sorry I wasn't able to control how I responded to  _that._ " Ninten apologized, giving a weak smile.

For the rest of the lunch period, the group assisted Ninten in calming down and pulling himself together. Lucas understood why he was so upset over that ordeal. Ninten had a vocabulary where 1/3rd of it was made up of vulgar words or topics, but he'd never gone as far as to actually insult someone or threaten them, let alone try to get into a fistfight with them. Despite his brash personality, Ninten was a good kid.

After the violent event, Lucas told himself that he needed to be more careful. He wasn't just in a teasing situation anymore.

Ness wasn't just a kid who took joy in seeing others suffer, who happened to dislike Lucas and his friends. He full-on hated them, and he obviously had the goal of making their Junior year in highschool a living hell for all of them. This boy had managed to get Ninten, the nicest, most kind-hearted boy in the school to not only insult him, but  _attack_ him.

He wasn't just a typical classroom prick. Now, Ness was a threat, and a dangerous one, at that. 


	5. Traumatophobia

"More  _emotion_ , Nesley! And you're slouching again, straighten up. You make me want to check and see if you have a  _pulse_ , for goodness sake!"

Ness quickly sat up, not realizing he'd been slouching. He suddenly missed his place on the sheet music, and quickly improvised the next few moments before he found it again. He took a deep breath and forced himself to focus on nothing but his posture, the sheet music, and the piano keys before him. Without warning, his finger slipped and hit a wrong key. Ness flinched, and glanced up at his father, Dale Wyman, who cast him a disapproving look.

"Why did you stop?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Sorry, dad, I-"

"Sir."

"Right...sorry, sir. It's just out of habit."

"Do you really think you'd get a good reputation if you did that during a recital?" His father questioned, raising a hand to steady his glasses. Ness looked down at the ground and shook his head.

"No, sir." He murmured.

"Look at me when I talk you."

Ness raised his head and made hesitant eye contact with his father.

"What am I going to do with you, Nesley? This song is an uplifting piece, and it won't inspire anyone unless you convey the excitement into your hands, your arms, your face! You must show passion, son." Dale explained.

"But da... _sir_ , how can I show passion in a song I'm not even passionate about? If you'd just let me write my own music, I-" Ness was suddenly interrupted.

"The music I pick for you is good, quality music, young man. You should be thankful." Dale insisted. He was suddenly distracted by his phone going off. He answered the call, and walked out of the room quickly, leaving Ness alone. Ness sighed and stood up, then closed the lid to the piano. He cringed upon feeling a sudden pain in his fingers. He noticed that his practice for the day had gone almost an hour over schedule, and this had taken a toll on the state of his hands. Suddenly, tiny footsteps alerted him.

"Big brother, are you done yet?"

Ness turned to see his little sister standing in the doorway, and the sight of her innocent face brightened his attitude instantly. He walked over to her and stooped down to her level.

"Yeah, all done, Tracy." He assured, ruffling her hair with one hand. Tracy giggled and playfully shrugged away from his hand. She took hold of it and frowned.

"Your fingers are all stiff. I don't like it when Dad makes you practice forever. That song he's making you play is awful, too." Tracy groaned, walking over to the piano bench and hopping onto it. Ness walked over and sat down beside her. He watched, entertained, as Tracy scanned the right handed notes on the sheet music and plunked them out clumsily. She squinched up her nose and stuck out her tongue. Ness laughed.

"Baaaaad. Now maybe...if we just changed it up…" He said, and repeated the melody himself, changing up a few of the notes to make the tune sound more upbeat.

"That's good! It's pretty! Where'd you find that?" Asked Tracy. Ness' mouth went dry.

"Um...I...Improvised it." He said. He wouldn't dare admit to Tracy that he'd gotten the tune from Ninten. When they'd almost gotten into a fight on Friday, Ness had happened to hear him quietly singing it to himself in the hallway, and the melody never left his mind. He narrowed his eyes, disgusted by the fact he'd actually liked something that Ninten had created.

"That bastard." Ness muttered.

"What was that?" Asked Tracy.

"Oh! Uhh...nothing, Trace."

"Okay. Nesley, do you actually wish Lucas was dead?"

The sudden, unrelated question was so unexpected, it almost made Ness fall back. He bit his lower lip and searched for an answer.

"Erm...Well, of course not, where did you ever come up with that idea?" He stammered.

"The other day, when you saw him walking by our house. You whispered about how you wanted him dead." Tracy explained.

' _She heard that?_!' Ness mentally cried.

"Um...I was joking." He claimed out loud.

"Really? 'Cos you sounded really mad, to me."

"You can't expect me not to pick up some acting skills from my little sister when she gets back from her classes on Saturdays." He smirked. Tracy laughed and hid her face sheepishly. Suddenly, their mother poked her head into the room and smiled.

"Tracy, dear, there's a friend who wants to talk to you on the phone." She said, handing over the house phone to Tracy, who answered it. She immediately got up and walked away, chatting with whatever schoolmate it was. Ness, who was curious at what his mother was doing, followed her back into the kitchen, where she was baking something. Ness smiled and rolled his eyes. His mom loved baking, but the only problem was that she couldn't bake at all. Everything she made was either too salty, too doughy, or just plain burnt.

He noticed that she was having trouble lifting a cutting board off of a shelf, so he walked over.

"Here, lemme get that." Ness offered, reaching up and placing it on the counter behind him.

"Thank you, Nesley." His mother smiled.

"Oh, and whatever's on the stove is boiling pretty violently right now." Ness told her. He quickly ran to the stove and carefully moved the kettle from the heat.

"Goodness, I'd forgotten that was there! Thank you again, dearest. I swear, this house would fall apart without you here. Old age is a terrible thing, and I believe it's taking its toll on me." His mom laughed, placing a hand to her chest dramatically.

"Oh, mom…" Ness gushed. He lifted the lid to the kettle he had just rescued and frowned. Whatever was in there was burnt beyond saving.

"That was supposed to be my roux sauce…" His mom said, sadly.

"Isn't roux supposed to be...not black?" Teased Ness. His mom gasped, grabbed a dish towel from behind, and threw it at her son, who cried out in surprise and then laughed playfully.

"Do you need anymore help, or are you good?" Ness asked.

"No, you go on ahead and do whatever you teenagers do Your father just left for his business trip, so you don't have to worry about your studies for a while." His mom replied.

"What? He left? Would it kill that man to say goodbye or something for once?" Ness groaned, clenching his fists.

"Now, dear. Your father is a very busy man, it was a very short notice call-in." His mom reminded.

"I know, I know...But he should never be too busy for his kids, you know?" Ness told her. His mom gave him a sympathetic look. They both knew that they needed to be grateful. Being part of the mayor's family wasn't a luxury that everybody got to have. But Ness couldn't help but feel somewhat unloved. He would do anything to know what it was like to have a normal family.

He quickly made his way downstairs and into his room. He sat down at his desk, which still had unfinished math homework scattered across the surface. Ness mentally debated whether to finish it and get it over with, or make up an excuse on Monday. Eventually, he decided to complete the worksheets. Math was his best subject, it wasn't as if he'd have a problem.

However, before he could even reach for the pencil, his phone rang.

"God…" He muttered. Upon checking the number on the screen, he realized that he did not recognize it. However, it had his area code, so he reluctantly answered.

"Hello?"

" **Hi there.** "

The first instinct Ness had was to hang up upon hearing that voice.

" _Ninten_? How the fuck did you get my number, and why are you calling me?" He asked, holding himself back from speaking too loudlg accidentally alarming his family.

" **Hear me out, chill. I got your number from Paula.** " Replied Ninten.

' _That bitch…_ ' Ness thought. "What do you need?"

" **I want to apologize**."

Ness paused. He waited for a few moments, waiting for Ninten to hang up or something, but he stayed on the line.

"What?" He replied, confused.

" **I'm sorry. You know, for what happened on Friday. I kinda got out of control.** "

Ness was puzzled. He didn't know how to respond to this. Normally, when he got into a fight, his opponent avoided him afterwards. He'd never been in a situation where they'd just strike up a random conversation out of nowhere.

"You know I still fucking hate you, right?" Ness responded, with a slight growl in his voice.

" **Oh, of course I do. I meant every single thing I said to you the other day, but I didn't feel right about forgetting the whole thing. So, I'm sorry.** " Ninten said.

"Well I'm not."

" **God damn, man! Can you say anything to me without sounding like you want me to get lockjaw and die?** "

"Actually, that would be pretty nice. Now hang up and never call me again."

Ninten muttered some form of swear, before a click came from the other end and the call ended. Ness scoffed and switched off his phone.

He had always hated Ninten, ever since the third grade when they had gotten into a fistfight over who was going to marry Paula. Ness had won that fight, but at the cost of sending Ninten to the nurse's office. Out of all of his past friends, he despised Ninten the most.

Ness suddenly found himself smiling at the memories of elementary and middle school. Everyone had first met in second grade, and stuck together for years afterwards. He remembered how excited he was in fourth grade when his father won the election and became mayor of the town. He remembered how much he bragged about it.

And then he remembered fifth grade. He frowned to himself. The day he showed up at school with large bruises on his arms. He had barely spoken to anyone that day, not even his friends.

"Dammit…" Cursed Ness, realizing he had tears in his eyes. He quickly wiped them away and tried not to think about it.

' _Dad's not like that anymore._ ' He thought to himself. However, he couldn't get the memory out of his head.

It had been dark that night. It was storming outside. Poor, ten year old Nesley had been slumped against the kitchen wall, in the dark, blood seeping from his arms and down his back.

Ness punched his wall, hard enough to draw blood.

"He's not like that anymore!" He shouted through grit teeth. He began to recite pi. It always made him feel better to repeat all of the digits he knew from memory. Finally, after around fifty numbers, the disturbing memory fled him and he distracted himself with the remainder of his homework.

He knew it was stupid to be affected by it now.

After all, his dad wasn't like that anymore.

Everything was okay now.

* * *

"That kid doesn't even deserve your apology, Ninten."

Ninten sighed and shrugged his shoulders a bit. He turned to Lucas and smiled.

"I know, dude. But I just didn't feel right, you know?" He admitted.

"But Ness is a jerk!" Lucas groaned.

"Yeah, but I'm not!" Argued Ninten.

The two boys were at Lucas' apartment, studying for an upcoming unit test. Ninten had explained his phone call with Ness earlier, and Lucas' reaction was highly expected.

"Tch...Whatever. What was the role of Thomas Jefferson in that ended in 1789?" Lucas read from the history review sheet.

"United States Minister for France." Ninten replied, leaning back on the couch.

"Good. Who succeeded him afterwards?"

"William Shore."

"Almost. William  _Short_."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know you were the world expert on the US presidents." Ninten said sarcastically.

"Hush, you'd fail this test if I hadn't agreed to help you." Insisted Lucas. At that moment, the front door opened and Claus entered. His eyes went wide upon seeing that his brother had a guest.

"Oh! Ninten! I didn't know you were coming…!" He stammered. Ninten walked over to him, grinning.

"Yah, it was more of a last resort thing." He admitted. He reached forward and hugged Caus tightly. Lucas almost laughed out loud; his twin had obviously not been expecting that.

"Uh...Yah, I see. Good to see you, as...as always. Hey, Luc." Claus waved daintily to Lucas, who waved back with a suggestive smirk on his face. Ninten jogged back over to the living room and sat beside Lucas again.

"Okay...quiz me again." He said.

"Arighty. Picking up where we left off...When has he elected president?" Lucas asked.

"He was elected in 1800, but began in the office in 1801." Ninten answered.

"Who succeeded him then?"

"James Madison...I think?"

"That's right!"

"Wow…" Breathed Claus, who was sitting across from them, "You are  _so_  smart…" He brushed his hair out of his face.

"Nah, not me, heh. I fail everything the teachers throw at me." Ninten admitted, giving him a lazy half-grin.

"Surely not everything, I mean, you seemed pretty good right there. To me, at least." Claus said sheepishly.

"Really? Y-you think so?" Replied Ninten, placing his hand on the back of his neck.

"You seem...really good at everything. I mean…! Uh…! You know…! Because you are…! Good...At everything…?" Claus stumbled on his words, before excusing himself from the room and quickly exiting. Ninten and Lucas sat in silence for a few moments.

"Jesus, looks like my brother's the new Casanova." Lucas said. Ninten laughed.

"I think it's cute! Your brother's a real interesting character, you know." He said. Lucas almost had to clamp his hand over his mouth to avoid telling him Claus' feelings. He knew his twin would never forgive him if he let it slip. Lucas chose a different route.

"You really think that? That's good! I wonder who'd be interested in... _dating_  him?" Lucas said, struggling to not sound too obvious. Ninten shrugged.

"I would." He simply told him. Lucas froze.

"Wait, what?" He gasped.

"I would! He's super cool, and really fun to be around. Not to mention he has the prettiest eyes on the face of the planet. If he was into me, I'd go out with him. I don't know if I really like him, but if we dated for a while, I think I'd start to." Ninten suggested.

"Well that's good! Because he likes yyyooo…yyyour friendship!" Lucas told him. Dammit, he was being too suspicious.

"Lucas, you okay? You're stuttering a lot." Asked Ninten.

"Oh! Uhhh…" Lucas trailed off. He was in a tight spot here. Ninten knew that something was up.

'I'm so sorry, Claus…' Lucas prayed, hoping he wouldn't be murdered at the hands of his twin. "Ninten, listen…" Lucas lowered his voice down to a whisper and leaned in close.

"Okay, so my brother...Well, he likes you. I don't mean in the friend way. Seriously, that boy is in love. In his eyes, you are a  _god_." Lucas claimed. Ninten made a small gasping noise.

"Really?!" He nearly shouted.

"Sssshhhh! Yes, really. But he will never ever be able to ask you out himself, because he's a weak-ass little sissy bitch. That's why you have got to make the first move. Understand?"

"Y...Yah, I gotcha. But...what do I say? How do I say it? Will I be too direct?" Ninten asked. Lucas smiled.

"I don't know. You're about to figure it out. Claus! Can you come here a moment?" Lucas yelled.

"Dude, what are you doing, I can't…?! Heyyy! Claus…!" Ninten changed his tone when the ginger entered the room.

"What's up?" Greeted Claus. Lucas shoved Ninten from behind, forcing him to stand up and stumble forwards.

"Ah! Um! I…! Want to ask something! If that'd be...you know, okay?" Ninten stuttered.

"Sure, what'cha got?" Claus asked. Ninten was at a complete loss for words. He turned to stare at Lucas, as if asking for help. Lucas shook his head.

"Um…You see...I was wondering if...maybe...uhh...you'd like to...maybe…" Ninten began to stammer. Lucas was surprised. This was incredibly out of character for Ninten, who was normally very controlled and smooth when speaking to someone he fancied.

' _Poor kid._ ' Lucas thought.

"I was thinking...perhaps...if you'd be willing...would you...possibly…?"

"What is it?" Claus interrupted.

" _Iwaswonderingofyou'dgooutwithme_!" Ninten cried, squeezing his eyes shut. After a few moments of silence, he opened one eye and looked up at Claus.

Claus stared at him, mouth open in utter shock. Lucas couldn't read his expression. He didn't seem scared, or happy. He just seemed...shocked. Lucas sighed, sadly. He knew why.

"Wait...you wanna go out with me?" Claus murmured.

"Uh...yah?" Ninten confirmed.

More silence.

"But...heh...why? I-I mean no offense, but I'm all broken and shit." Whispered Claus. Ninten's eyes darkened. He took a step forwards. Lucas watched, captivated.

"Claus…don't say that, you aren't broken!" Ninten protested.

"Yes I am, Nelson." Claus said. Lucas' heart dropped. He never knew that they were this close. Ninten only let certain people call him by his birth name.

"How, then? Tell me how you're broken." Ninten insisted.

"Well, look at me. I've got this scar on my face, and more on my legs. They're just constant reminders that I screwed up all those years ago. I only just started becoming more social, and...well, I'm still forever afraid that I'll make one wrong move, and everything will fall apart again." Claus explained. He looked up and made eye contact.

"Claus…"

"Look at my face. Look at the bags under my eyes...those are from so many sleepless nights having to deal with sleep paralysis and hallucinations. And listen to my voice. I haven't been able to say a full sentence without stuttering for years now, and it'll be a long time before I do. My hands shake constantly, and I'm constantly fidgeting, and I'm just so weak overall." Claus' voice began to shake. He gripped onto Ninten's jacket and buried his face in his chest, and began to quietly cry.

"I'm broken." He repeated in a choking voice. "Don't waste your time going out with me, find someone else. You deserve better, okay?"

With each word Claus said, Ninten's heart broke more and more. He knew that the events of Claus' past still affected him to this day, but he didn't realize it affected him this much. The whole time he knew him, he'd never seen him cry. He'd never seen him sad at all, in that matter.

He let out a deep sigh and shook his head.

"I'm not having it." Ninten told him. Claus looked up at him, eyes now red and swollen.

"Huh?"

"As someone who is deeply passionate about the arts, I get a little pissed off when someone criticizes a beautiful work of art." He murmured, wrapping his arms around the ginger and pulling him close. "Especially when that artwork is criticising itself."

Claus shook his head and pulled away.

"You want a metaphor? Fine. I used to be artwork. I used to be a canvas with bright colours, with neons all over the place. But the day I went after mom's killer, it was like someone threw a bucket of black paint at me. I ruined myself."

"And by using that black paint, you created contrast. And that contrast made that painting stronger." Explained Ninten.

" _Dude_ …"

"No, listen to me. Those scars all over your body are  _so_  cool. They may be reminders of what you did, but think about it. Could any normal kid survive in the wild for three years, and still manage to join society again?" Ninten asked.

"Well, no, but-"

"And how about how you learned to walk again after a fucking  _death rock_  fell on you? I would have given up. How about that?"

Claus sniffled and grinned a bit.

"I guess that's cool, but-"

"And how about the time you nearly choked me to death at your coffee shop when I wanted a refund? If you think you're weak, I've got news for you. I was too afraid to come back for a few days." Ninten admitted, jokingly placing a hand to his own neck, as if guarding it. Claus giggled and looked down at his feet. Ninten gently placed a hand on the side of his face and tilted his head up to regain eye contact.

"You shouldn't be ashamed. All of us are broken, some more than others. But all of those cracks on our surface are just evidence that we've survived. You've survived something I couldn't imagine going through. And you know what?" He quizzed.

"...Heh...What?" Claus replied bashfully.

"I think that's pretty badass. Really, I think you're both. Pretty and badass. Which is basically my own way of saying that I kinda love you." Said Ninten.

"...Really?" Asked Claus.

"Yahhh…" Ninten shrugged and laughed awkwardly. "So...um...About my original question, if that a...yes? Or a no? Or a maybe? 'Cos you don't have to if you don't want to if you don't want to. I'm just kinda convinced that you're into me…? I don't wanna jump to conclusions or-"

"For the love of god, stop talking! Of course it's a fucking yes, dumbass." Claus snickered, before tackling Ninten to the ground.

"Ack! Okay, alright, I surrender! Let me back up!" Ninten cried. Claus obliged, helping his friend up.

"Sooo, do we have to kiss now, like in the movies?" Claus asked.

"I  _would_ , but your brother is sitting right there." Ninten gestured to Lucas, who was still sitting there, eyes wide and hands neatly placed in his lap.

"I've just been kinda...In the background. But you can go ahead and do your thing, I don't care. " Lucas said, raising his hand.

"Well, okay. But I've never kissed anybody before, so it's just gotta be quick, okay?" Said Claus.

"Alright, alright! Count of three, one, two, three, go!" Ninten shouted. However, the moment he leaned forward, Claus immediately backed away. Both of them burst into giggles.

"Maybe we'll try that later." Suggested Ninten.

"Yah, that seems okay." Claus agreed. Lucas stood up from his spot on the couch and clapped his hands together.

"Okay! Well, now that the whole ordeal is finally over, Ninten! What was John Adam's death date?"

' _Finally._ ' Lucas thought.

* * *

The following Monday, Lucas went to school with a smile on his face, even though it was pouring outside. His cheerfulness was noticed by Jeff, who was waiting by his locker. The boys had planned to study together before school that day.

"You seem rather chipper today, Lucas. What's got you in such a good mood, especially on a Monday?" Jeff asked, steadying his glasses. Lucas mindlessly shrugged and opened his locker.

"I dunno, I just am." He guessed. Every bit of him was screaming to tell Jeff about what had happened between Claus and Ninten yesterday, but he had promised them both he'd keep it a secret for the next little while.

"Well, I'm glad that you're happy. You're gonna need that good attitude during the unit final today." Jeff told him. The two laughed, but immediately stopped when they spotted, who else, Ness, standing a few metres away from them. He pretended to look shocked.

"Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop." He smirked. Lucas defensively stepped in front of Jeff, as the young scientist was incredibly frail and sensitive.

"Oh, it's fine. We were just leaving, actually." Lucas said, crossing his arms.

"Actually...no you're not." Ness began to walk slowly towards them. Jeff cowered, frightened, behind Lucas.

" _Don't let your fear show, Jeff. We outnumber him._ " Lucas whispered to him. Jeff gulped, nodded, and steadied himself.

"Yes, we are." Lucas said sternly. Ness clicked his teeth, as usual.

"God damn, you are getting more and more annoying each time I see you." He muttered, stuffing his hands into his pockets and leaning onto one side.

"Oh, yeah? Well you're getting more annoying each time we see you!" Jeff stammered. Lucas mentally cringed. ' _No, Jeff...No, no, no, no…'_

Ness sighed, shoved Lucas out of the way, and grabbed Jeff's hoodie collar with one hand, and grabbed Jeff's wrist with the other.

"Brave move, Andonuts. But really, there are certain points in your life when you need to learn how fo hold you tongue, or you're just gonna get hurt." Ness began to twist Jeff's arm behind his back. Jeff cried out and tried to kick him away, but was swiftly kneed in the thigh.

Lucas, who had just snapped out of his daze, watched in horror as his friend was being tortured right in front of him. He quickly scrambled to his feet. With an extra push of adrenaline, he desperately grabbed hold of Ness' arm, and tore him away from Jeff. Of course, the pain was then enforced on him, as Jeff frantically ran down the hallway to get help.

"You know, Shortstack. There are some people you just shouldn't pick a fight with!" Ness shouted. Before Lucas could react, he was thrown against the lockers. His vision immediately blurred, and once again, before he could attempt to get away, he received a sharp kick to the lower leg. He found himself unable to stand up, and crumpled to the ground.

"Learn your goddamn place. Consider your final warning." Ness spat. He then sprinted down the hallway, most likely to go catch up to Jeff to make sure he wasn't found out.

"N...No, don't hurt Jeff…" Lucas groaned. He struggled to stand up in a desperate attempt to help his friend, but his right leg refused to work. He had no other option but to wait there until he could stand again. Thus, he sat there for the next thirty minutes, clutching the area below his knee and wincing in pain.

At this time, the school was beginning to fill up a bit. The usual student walked by and asked Lucas if he was okay, where he'd then make up an excuse about how he tripped. This was until Kumatora walked by. She looked him up and down, then sighed.

"Let me guess."

"You don't have to say anything, your answer's probably correct." Lucas muttered. Kumatora placed a hand on his shoulder; her own special way of showing sympathy.

"You need to go to the nurse's office or anything?" She asked. Lucas shook his head and reluctantly staggered up. Thankfully, the pain in his leg had calmed down, and he managed to stand up straight.

"We need to help Jeff…" Insisted Lucas.

"Don't worry, Coconut's fine. I found him in a storage closet, and he's totally unscratched." Kumatora assured. Lucas sighed in relief.

"I can't believe that just happened…" He breathed.

"Ness hurt you before, hasn't he, though?"

"Yah, but this time…"

"This time what?"

"I fought back."

"Oh, god dammit, Lucas…" Kumatora shook her head.

"I know, it was stupid. But I can take his assault, Jeff can't. I couldn't just stand there." Lucas told her.

"Look, Cupcake. I'm proud that you stood up for Jeff like that, it was a really awesome thing to do. But you have got to keep an eye out now. Now that Ness knows you can take his verbal harassment, he'll start psychically harassing you. Just be careful." Kumatora said. Suddenly, the first period bell rang.

"You sure you can make it to class on your own?" Kumatora asked. Lucas nodded.

"Yeah, I got it." He responded. He half limped, half jogged to his math class, causing a concerned teacher to fuss over him. After five minutes of insisting he didn't have to go the nurse's room, Lucas finally caved in and took a hall pass, and headed to the aid room. It wasn't that unfortunate; he hated math.

However, the second Lucas entered the office, he stopped dead in his tracks and felt his ability to breathe leave his body. Ness was sitting right there. He had a serious bruise on his right cheek. Lucas wondered, amazed, if it was Jeff who did it.

"Well, look what the cat brought in from the rain." Ness sneered.

"Fuck off, I'm not looking for trouble." Lucas shot, sitting down at the far end of the room.

"Let me tell you this, if there wasn't a nurse in the very next room, I would end your fucking life."

"Funny, you always say you will. Well, it's been four months, and you still haven't killed me. How're you gonna do it, Ness? Are you gonna poison me? Stab me? Drown me?" Lucas quizzed.

"I was thinking of doing all three, now that you mention it." Said Ness.

"Go to hell."

The two ignored each other after that, as they both knew that another fight would break out if they continued. However, the longer the silence dragged on, the more each boy wanted to slaughter the other. Fortunately, Lucas was given a pair of crutches, and was allowed to return to class. He shuddered through the whole class, after realizing that he was definitely getting in too deep. He had to stop this, before he or someone else would be in serious danger.

He cheered up a bit during lunch, as usual. He was the last to get to the table, due to his crutches,

"Oh my god, Cupcake! Jeff told us about this morning, are you okay?" Asked Ana, her eyes full of concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Jeff, are you alright? I'm so sorry, I didn't stop him, I couldn't." Lucas said. Jeff smiled.

"No need to worry, Lucas. I know this sounds far fetched, but as I was running down the hallway, Ness ran into a senior. I'm pretty sure they started fighting after that, so I got away scot-free." Explained Jeff. Lucas nearly started laughing.

"He is such an idiot! Picking a fight with a senior?" He said.

"Ness picks fights with anyone, Luc." Reminded Kumatora, referring back to the fight she had with him weeks before.

"Ehh, I guess. So Jeff, I'm guessing you weren't the one who totally suckerpunched him?" Lucas guessed. Jeff scoffed.

"Please, do you think someone like me could do something like that? It was probably that senior. The captain of the football team…'Zach', I think his name is." Jeff explained.

"Oh yah! Isn't his little brother in our grade?" Asked Paula, snapping her fingers.

"Yah, Travis or something. But he goes to a public school." Replied Tony.

"I like Travis, he's a cool kid. He's constantly hanging around my dads, because they're the only people who understand him. Travis likes wearing...you know, 'girl things'. Like, you know, dresses. I heard that Ness totally chewed him out because of that once." Explained Kumatora. Paula gasped quietly.

"Oh my, that poor thing." She murmured.

"You guys know Floyd? He told me he stopped hanging around Ness because of that, the night he tried to mug me. Apparently, he used to watch Travis when his parents were out of town." Lucas recalled.

"Well, I'm glad that he has someone older to look up to. It's one thing being a masculine girl in our society, but it's a totally different thing being a feminine boy. Can you imagine the pressure that kid's under?" Ninten asked.

"Oh, you're talking about Tran-vis!" Another voice spoke out.

It was Ness. No one had seen him approach the table. Ninten, who was still shaken up from last Friday, gripped the edge of the table.

"Sorry to break the news to you, but that's not his name." Snapped Kumatora.

"I didn't ask you. And sorry to break this news to you, I'm afraid poor Tran-vis isn't going to school anymore. He dropped out about a month ago." Explained Ness, smirking.

"What?!" Cried Paula.

"He couldn't handle all the teasing, so the little coward dropped out. He's taking all his classes online now." Ness hinted. Lucas stood up so quickly, he nearly knocked over his chair.

"I bet it was because of you! Floyd told us everything! Are you happy, now? Does it amuse you, knowing that someone's education is on the line because you had to prey on him? Does that satisfy you, picking on kids who are weaker than you just to make you feel better about yourself?" He accused. Lucas immediately regret what he said. He never raised his voice at anyone, and when he did, it was never out of anger. He also knew that he had said more than was needed to be said, but once he started, he couldn't stop.

"Yes, it does. Absolutely." Ness told him.

"I would've expected Zach to teach you a lesson."

"The only thing he taught me is how hard some seniors can hit. I'll admit, that guy is stronger than me. But none the less, I'm more powerful."

Lucas searched for some form of comeback without sounding like he wanted a fight. But words refused to come out. Ness snickered and rolled his eyes.

"You just don't get it, do you? You never quit! You cannot do anything to me without facing the consequences. Just admit it, Lucas. I have this whole school...no, this whole city wrapped around my finger. And no matter how hard you try, there is nothing you can do about it! So...my advice? Follow my warning from earlier today. Learn your  _fucking_  place." Ness finished. Before he spun around to leave, he put his hand to Lucas's face and swiped down, making sure to leave a mark with his fingernails. Lucas nearly fell back, but was caught by Ninten.

"Jesus Christ! Lucas, are you okay?!" Ninten cried, assisting him in sitting down. Lucas didn't answer, he simply stared down at the table. He felt the area around his eyes grow hot. He bit his lower lip and sniffled. For the first time in two years, he found himself crying. No, not crying. He found himself sobbing. He had never felt so helpless before.

"Somebody else is hurting because I couldn't stop Ness." He muttered, covering his mouth. Ninten scootched closer to him and put an arm around his shoulders, while Ana, who was on the other side of Lucas, rested her chin on his shoulder and rested a hand on his back.

"Lucas, this couldn't even begin to be your fault. You are so brave for even trying to stop him, Travis would be so grateful if he found out." Said Paula, reaching over to grasp Lucas' other hand. Kumatora, Tony, and Jeff all put their hands on his as well.

"What you did just then was incredible. No other student at this school could do that. You stood right up to him, and you didn't even care if he hurt you." Said Tony, his brown eyes filled with sympathy.

"Not only did you stand up for yourself and Travis, you stood up for the whole school. That was a really noble thing to do." Jeff told him. Lucas smiled, but only for a second. He looked down at his hand, which was quivering.

"I'm just so terrified. What if he hurts me even more than he already has? What if he gets ahold of Claus? I'd never forgive myself if I let him do that." Lucas admitted, clenching his hand into a fist.

"At least you're trying. Ness has like...four friends at this school. Four followers. You have over four hundred. Four hundred students who are behind you one hundred and ten percent." Ninten explained, gesturing to the rest of the cafeteria.

"Lucas, we will protect you. We will fight your battles, we will stand with you. I promise, by the end of this year, Ness will have learned  _his_ place." Kumatora said, grinning. Lucas stayed quiet for a few moments. The others waited for his response, concerned. Finally, he slowly looked up, a determined smile on his face.

"Heh...Damn right, he will."

"Theeere's the Lucas we all know and love!" Exclaimed Paula, squeezing his hand.

By the end of the lunch period, Lucas was feeling much more confident in himself. He promised that he would defend himself, Travis, and the rest of the school no matter what.

That was until school ended that day.

* * *

Lucas rounded a corner in the school's hallway, but stopped when he spotted a figure leaning against the wall nearby. He squinted, and took a step back when the figure turned, revealing himself to be Ness.

"W...What are you doing here?" Lucas asked, struggling not to sound somewhat frightened.

"I'm here to finish what you started, Shortstack." Ness told him, pulling back his hood to fully show his face. Lucas was slightly threatened by the darkness in his eyes. He heard footsteps behind him, and noticed two other boys approaching him.

"Listen, I'm not looking for trouble, I'm just trying to get home." Said Lucas, backing away cautiously.

"Really? Because you sounded like you wanted trouble back in the cafeteria, to me." Ness affirmed. The three boys slowly backed Lucas into the lockers behind him.

"I was simply standing up for my friend, thank you. Now if you'd please excuse me, I need to get going-" Lucas tried to rush past them, but was forcefully pinned back against the lockers.

"I wasn't finished yet." Ness declared, voice low and threatening.

"Honestly, let me go! What the hell is wrong with you?" Lucas protested. He was beginning to get scared. He felt himself reverting back to that shy, weak little boy he was on the first day of school.

Ness raised a hand, most likely to hit him across the face. Lucas' reflexes allowed him to swat his hand away, but he accidentally caught the side of Ness' jaw in the process, his fingernails making two, long red lines across his skin, which began to bleed. Ness lifted a finger to the wound and inspected it, then wiped the blood off with his jacket sleeve.

"Ooh, dude. I think he  _does_ want to fight!" Said one of the boys.

" _I'm perfectly fine with that._ " Ness hissed. He then grabbed Lucas by the shirt collar with both hands.

"No! Nononono, I don't want to fight you! Please let go!" Lucas cried, grasping at Ness' wrists and desperately trying to tug them away.

"I gave you plenty of warnings, but I'm through with being  _nice,_ Pretty Boy." Ness told him. Lucas, fearing for his life, flinched and tried to struggle out of his tormentor's grip. However, upon remembering the strength he had at lunch earlier, adrenaline coursed through him again.

"I told you to  _fucking let me go!"_ Lucas shouted, and with strength he never knew he had, he managed to kick Ness away, and into the wall of lockers behind him. Ness stared back up at him with a mixture of anger and shock.

"Ooooh shit, Ness! You gonna take that?" Encouraged one of the boys backing him up. Ness narrowed his eyes and began to roll up his sleeves.

"Like hell I'm not.  _Like hell I'm fucking not!"_ He shrieked. At nearly the speed of light, he grabbed Lucas by the shoulders and began to drag him. The two boys assisted him, each grabbing one of his legs. Lucas thrashed and shouted as loud as he could in an attempt to alert a teacher, but none were in sight.

Once they were outside, Lucas was taken to the back of the school, where the courtyard was. Once they were out of eyesight, he was thrown to the pavement below them. Seconds after, he received a sharp kick to the stomach.

" _Ack!_ No, stop it,  _please_!" Lucas begged. He wrapped his arms around himself to protect his torso, but they were yanked away by one of the other students. One of their grips was too tight, and he felt his wrist bending in a way it shouldn't have been.

Ness continued to violently kick him, eventually making contact with the chest area. This caused Lucas to cough up a concerning amount of blood. He tried to scream, but the blood choked him, limiting his breathing.

It seemed to go on for hours, even though they only continued for about thirty more seconds. At one point, one of the other boys stomped his foot down on his leg, and a sickening crack split the air. Ness continued his assault, shouting a long line of profanity and insults. Lucas eventually felt the grip on his arms go away. He looked up to see Ness being held back by the two other students. His hair was in a tangle, and his eyes seemed to be almost glazed over in a trance. 

"Dude, chill out! You're gonna kill him!" One of them exclaimed.

"I think he's learned his lesson, let's just get outta here before someone sees us." The other said. Ness stayed silent for a moment, then nodded. He stooped down to his knees and grabbed a handful of Lucas' hair, yanking him up to look him in the eye.

"How's that for you?" He whispered. Lucas shakily looked at him, eyes filled with defeat.

" _What...what did I ever do to you?_ " He groaned, as tears began to run down his bloodstained face. Ness paused.

A quick expression of fear crossed his face, but only for a second. He grit his teeth.

"You were  _born._ " He spat, letting go of his victim and letting him fall to the pavement. He stood up, brushed his hands together, and motioned for his friends to follow him. As they left the scene, thunder clashed in the distance, and rain began to pour. Lucas stayed there, numb, in a curled up fetal position, eyes squeezed shut. As he lost morw blokd, he began to feel more lightheaded.

Eventually, his strength ran out, and he drifted into unconsciousness.

* * *

" **911, What's your emergency?"**

"Uhh, hi…! My name is Claus, and I think my brother is missing!"

" **Your brother?"**

"Y-yes, he isn't answering his phone, and I've checked with all his friends, they haven't seen him either."

" **Okay, don't worry. Help is on the way, I just need you to stay on the line with me."**

Claus paced around the apartment, the phone clutched in his shaking hand. He struggled to breathe, and his heartbeat was growing faster by the minute. It was dark outside, and Lucas still hadn't come home. Claus had called and texted him multiple times, but his brother didn't respond. All of his friends weren't with him either.

A sudden knock at the door alerted him. Upon answering, he greeted Paula and Jeff.

"We were already at my house, and we came as soon as we heard. Have you found him?" Paula asked. Claus shook his head.

"No, but I've called 911. They should be here soon. Thanks so much for coming."

Not long after, the police arrived. They asked for Lucas' appearance and where they had last seen him.

"He looks like me; exactly like me, except he has blond hair and blue eyes. As for when I last saw him, it was at the bus stop outside of this apartment this morning." Explained Claus.

"And the last time we saw him was at school." Said Jeff. The officer quickly scribbled all of this down in her notebook and nodded.

"Looks like the best area we can check is around the school you go to. Which one is it?" She asked.

"Wyman's Academy for Gifted Students." Replied Paula.

"Hmm...That's a very large campus, it could be possible that your brother is somewhere around it." The Officer suggested. She pulled out a radio and instructed her team to investigate the school.

"We'll go search the area. I'm sure your brother is fine, Mr. Dolray. Please stay calm, we'll call you if we find him." She assured, placing a hand on Claus' shoulder. He nodded.

"Thank you." He said.

For the next half an hour or so, the three sat in complete silence on the couch. Claus' phone sat on the coffee table in front of them, and they all stared at it, waiting for it to make a sound. Finally, Claus sighed.

"If he was somewhere around the school, they would have found him by n-"

The phone buzzed. Claus immediately sprang up and answered it.

"Hello!" He cried.

"Claus, we've found you brother, thankfully." Said the voice on the other end.

"Really?! Oh my god! Thank goodness…"

"Hold on just a moment. We are asking you report to the school campus."

Claus' heart skipped a beat.

"Yes, of course. I'll be right there."

He hung up the phone and ran to the front door. Paula and Jeff ran after him, following him out of the apartment and down the hallway.

"Claus, you didn't even get your shoes  _or_ coat! What's the rush?" Asked Paula.

"Lucas was found! We need to get to the school!" Claus responded. Paula and Jeff turned to each other, eyes wide with concern.

"I'll drive us there, me and Paula came here in my car!" Jeff offered.

The group made their way outside, and frantically gathered into Jeff's car. Once they were on the road, Claus urged Jeff nonstop to speed up. Thankfully, it wasn't a very busy night, so there weren't many other cars. The minute the school came into view, Claus noticed the all too familiar flashing lights of an ambulance.

" _No…"_ He muttered. Before Jeff even stopped, Claus flung open the door and threw himself out of the car, nearly tripping. He sprinted as quickly as he could towards the scene.

"What happened?! Where is he?!" Claus demanded once reaching a group of officers. They attempted to calm him down, but Claus' attention was then directed to a stretcher behind them.

" _Lucas!"_ He shrieked, pushing past the cops and racing to the stretcher. The nurse pushing it into the van looked up in shock.

"Sir, please step away-"

" _I'm not gonna step away, this is my brother!_ Lucas, buddy, can you hear me? It's Claus. Can you hear me?!" Claus pleaded, grabbing hold of his brother's hand, only to let go of it out of shock. Lucas' hand was clammy, and absolutely freezing.

" _Claus…"_ Lucas murmured, his voice no more than a whisper. Claus realized in horror that dried blood coated his twin's face, neck, and hands.

"Lucas, oh my  _god…_! Please, let me get in with him! I'm his brother, he needs me there!" Begged Claus, staring desperately at the Nurse.

"Erm...Yes, you're welcome to-"

" _Thank_ you!"

It all seemed to go so fast. Though it took the ambulance about fifteen minutes to get to the hospital, it seemed as if it took them only a few seconds. Lucas had fallen unconscious again, and Claus gripped his hand tightly the whole way there.

As if life had gone into fast forward, Claus found himself sitting in a waiting room, staring intently down at the floor, waiting for news on what had happened with his brother. Eventually, he was joined by Paula and Jeff, who were both panting.

"Yo, dude! That wasn't cool, just leaving like that!" Gasped Paula, sitting down to catch her breath.

"Sorry, you guys...It's just that I saw the ambulance lights, and I just became terrified for my brother's life, you know? Brotherly instinct." Claus explained.

"Lucas is gonna be fine, I'm sure of it. They told me the only severe thing was blood loss, which they can fix." Jeff told him. Claus let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness...I was so scared…" He breathed.

"That's your job." Paula grinned.

"Yah, I guess. I'm just wondering who did this to him, and why they did it, you know? Lucas is such a sweet guy, who would ever want to hurt him?" Claus wondered. Paula and Jeff glanced at each other. Both had the same idea of who it most likely was. Though Lucas had begged them to keep Ness' violent harrassment a secret, they seemed not to have a choice, now.

"Claus, we think we know exactly who it is, but we don't know how well you'll take this." Said Paula, biting her lip. Jeff took over.

"You see, there's something that we've been hiding from you about Lucas and this one other guy at our school."


	6. Second Chances

"Three broken ribs. Two on the left, one on the right. Thankfully, nothing was damaged by this. A sprained wrist, and a broken leg. Severe blood loss. Hypothermia due to being outside in cold weather for too long with no coverage. Nothing else as far as we can see. Someone up there is looking out for him, he could've gotten way more injured than he already is."

Claus took it all in, and nodded curtly. He handed the clipboard back to the nurse in front of him.

"Thank you." He replied, and he watched the nurse leave. Claus sighed and turned back around, facing the rest of his friends. They all stared guiltily at the floor, except for Ninten. He stood up and attempted to comfort the ginger with a reassuring hand to his shoulder, but Claus swatted him away.

"How could you keep this a secret from me?" He spat, eyes narrowed. Ninten's gaze shifted to the ground, and he bit his lower lip shamefully.

"We...We only…" He began.

"You only what? My brother almost died because you guys were too scared to tell me that he was being bullied." Claus accused.

"We only did it because Lucas asked us to! I don't know why he didn't want us to tell you, but-"

"Because he can be an idiot sometimes! You guys are his only friends, and I would've expected you to look out for him better than this. I can't believe I started dating you…" Said Claus in disgust, pushing his attention back to Ninten, and shoving past him.

"Wait, you guys are dating?" Asked Paula.

"We were." Muttered Claus. He sat down on one of the chairs and hid his face in his hands. "This is all my fault...I should've seen the signs earlier. I knew something was wrong, but every time I asked, he just brushed it off…" He recalled.

"Claus, this is in no way your fault. You had no way of knowing! This...this is all on us." Said Ana, who sat beside him.

"No, you don't understand...something happened to us a long time ago, and after that, we promised each other we'd look out for each other no matter what. I broke my promise." Said Claus. He sighed and leaned back, staring up at the ceiling to keep his tears from spilling out. "It was about seven years ago." He claimed. Paula reached over and put a hand on his arm.

"We already know." She admitted.

"What?! Ninten, did you tell them?" Exclaimed Claus, betrayed.

"No, he didn't. Claus, there's something else we've kinda been hiding." Kumatora began, "Ninten actually knew about this long before you told him. We found an article online from back then. We know everything." She said. Claus stared at her, horrified.

"How could you do that?" He stammered, sounding more hurt than mad now.

"We let our curiosity get the better of us. We just wanted to know about your pasts, but we were too afraid to ask. It was horrible, I know." Confessed Tony.

"You and Lucas don't deserve us as friends. Friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other. You deserve better." Continued Jeff.

"And...we don't deserve you." Said Ninten. He looked up at Claus with a pained expression. " _I_ don't deserve you, Claus."

Claus found himself suddenly unable to stay mad at them. He knew he should've been, but he couldn't. His gaze softened. He reached down and took Ninten's hand.

"I never meant that. What I said, I mean. We're still together, right?" He asked hopefully.

"Only if you're okay with it." Replied Ninten with a bittersweet smile.

"We're sorry, all of us." Said Paula.

"Me too...I shouldn't have freaked out like that." Claus told them. Before anything else could be said or done, the nurse from before walked back into the waiting area.

"If any of you are interested in seeing your friend, he's ready." He said. The group quickly thanked him and followed him to Lucas' room. The blond was calmly reading a book, and looked up in surprise when his friends entered.

"Lucas, oh my god…" Claus rushed to his twin's side and hugged him.

"Oh…! Hey, Claus...you can...you can let go, now." Said Lucas.

"Ah, right. Sorry. How are you feeling, are you okay? Is everything alright? Are you hurting?" Claus asked as many questions as he could. Lucas rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"Dude, I'm fine. It's just a few broken bones, it's not like I have cancer."

" _And_ minor hypothermia, _and_ severe blood loss!"

"They fixed that, I have an IV, see?" Lucas raised his arm to reveal the tube that connected to it. "And hypothermia's super easy to treat, apparently. I'm okay."

"You could have died."

"But I didn't."

"But you _could_ have!"

"But I _didn't!_ "

"You could have just died, right there in the school courtyard!"

" _But I didn't!_ "

The rest of the group watched awkwardly as the twins continued to argue. Their conversation eventually changed topics, and they were now fighting about who had forgotten to pay the rent earlier that month. Lucas was in the middle of some nonstop spew of accusations, but suddenly burst into a coughing fit. Claus' angered expression turned back to concerned.

"God damn, are you alright?" He asked, grasping Lucas' shoulders. Lucas tried to answer, but he continued to cough violently. Finally, he cleared whatever was in his lungs and took deep breaths, his eyes watering.

"Don't worry, that's normal." He sputtered. "It's been happening a lot lately."

Claus frowned and nodded. He observed his twin's appearance. He was donning a dull hospital gown, and a white cast was tightly secured around his leg. His wrist was tied up in bandages, and many heat pads were laid across his body. Vines of IVs punctured multiple spots all over him. Lucas' usually pale skin was even paler, and his eyes seemed glassy and troubled. He couldn't help but hug him again, this time, softer.

"Idiot...idiot...idiot...fucking idiot…" Claus repeated, clinging onto the fabric of the hospital attire.

"You don't mean that." Lucas murmured.

"I don't mean you." Claus gripped harder on the clothing, nearly piercing Lucas' skin with his fingernails in anger. "I mean the dead bitch who did this to you. The person who's gonna be a human smoothie when I blend the fuck outta them. Who was it?" He demanded, staring Lucas in the eyes intently.

"Claus, trust me. You don't wanna mess with this kid, he's the human equivalent to danger. Ask anybody in this room." Lucas insisted, shaking his head.

"Seriously, he's not lying, Claus. He is fucked up, and he will destroy your life bit by bit if you even lay a finger on him." Kumatora stepped forward and swished her hands in a "no way" motion.

"I don't give a damn! If this kid thinks he can go ahead and beat the crap out of my brother, he's got another thing coming! What's his name?!" Claus exclaimed, advancing on Kumatora. She stood her ground.

"Because I'm your friend, and I care about you, I'm not telling you." She declared.

"Weren't you the guys who just said you shouldn't hide things from friends? Come on! Are you gonna tell me who it is, or will I have to make you?" Claus threatened. He gave her a small shove on the shoulder. Though Kumatora towered over him with her incredible height, Claus wasn't scared.

"Was that a threat?" Kumatora shoved him back, harder this time.

"Guys, stop!" Lucas' sudden plea snapped the two out of their staring match. They glanced at each other for a quick moment, bitterly. Lucas sighed. "His name is Nesley Wyman, otherwise known amongst the school as 'Ness'. He's the one who attacked me."

"Why're you telling him?" Cried Tony, eyes wide.

"Because I've already hidden enough from him. That's your guy, Claus." Lucas said. Claus processed the information, a look of determination on his face. Suddenly, he turned pale and looked as if he was about to be sick.

"The...the Mayor's son?" He shuddered. Lucas nodded. Claus stared at the ground, defeated. "No...if we confront him, he'll ruin us...and all that we've worked for…" He covered his mouth stressfully and walked towards the window, staring out at the hospital parking lot. A bird was perched near the window on a branch, pecking at something or other. How wonderful it would be to be that free.

"No." Claus growled, clenching his fists and pressing his forehead against the window.

"What?" Asked Lucas.

"I'm done. I'm done trying to run away. I did it with mom's death, I did it when I was rescued from the forest, and I did it when dad died. I try so hard to put things behind me, and not do anything about them. Not this time." Claus decided, turning around and facing everybody.

"What do you mean? There's nothing we can do without getting shit for it." Ninten reminded.

"I'm gonna report him to the police." Claus said, picking up the phone from a nearby desk stand.

"You know that isn't gonna do anything." Replied Paula. Claus smirked.

"What if...there just so happened to be multiple witnesses? Who also happened to call the police, all claiming it was poor Nesley?" He suggested, bringing the phone to the side of his face after dialing in a number. The others seemed to now understand his plan, and grinned at each other.

Ness was gonna get it.

He was gonna get it good.

* * *

"Hello, Police? I'm a student at Wyman's Academy for the Gifted, and I think I saw someone getting beat up outside! It was hard to tell because of all the rain, but I'm pretty sure it was a student called Ness doing the harassment! ...Mmhmm...Really? Eight other students saw him too? Oh my! Well, please do something about it! Oh, you already have him in custody? Okay, thank you."

Paula hung up the call and smiled, feeling accomplished. The others, being Tony, Jeff, Ana, Kumatora, and Ninten dramatically applauded.

"That outta convince them." She confirmed.

Claus' plan seemed to be working. Throughout the whole day, each of the six friends called at different times, and claimed to witness Lucas' attack. Of course, it was a lie. The only actual witnesses had been Ness, his two backups, and Lucas. But the friends were convinced that they were lying for the right reason.

Claus and Lucas didn't call the police, as they knew the cops would recognize their phone numbers. However, many other victims of Ness had been contacted, and had agreed to call the police and claim to "witness" the attack.

"We'll finally be free from his torture." Breathed Ninten, raising his hands to the sky and clasping them into a prayer position.

"Yes. Thank you, O high school gods. Please continue to watch over us." Tony acted, doing the same.

"I still don't think this is gonna work." Commented Lucas, who had his arms crossed.

"Oh, come on. Multiple people claiming it was him? That'll at least raise suspicion." Ninten said. He looked down at his phone to check the time. "Yikes, it's almost nine, you guys. We should probably go before the hospital staff kicks us out."

The others all agreed, and took turns personally saying goodbye to Lucas, some giving him hugs, others giving him a simple pat on the shoulder. Claus was there the longest, and practically had to be dragged away by Kumatora.

When the room was empty, Lucas sighed and looked out of the window near his bed. The sky was beginning to cloud up again. Another thunderstorm was probably brewing at the moment. He turned back to look at the wall in front of him. Everything seemed so peaceful. Footsteps and chatter from nurses and doctors outside mixed with the noise from the streets below calmed him.

"I hope this works." He whispered to himself, before closing his eyes and eventually drifting off.

* * *

"Let me go, dammit! I didn't hurt the kid! Do you know who the hell I am?! You've got the wrong guy! Let go of me!"

The door to the hospital room flew open, and two police officers entered with none other than Ness in their grip. They struggled to keep him still, as he was resisting their grasp with all his might. Lucas' eyes went wide upon seeing his nemesis contained like that.

"You're Lucas, yes?" Asked one officer, who dragged their suspect to the three chairs that had previously been set up earlier.

"That's me." Lucas replied. He and Ness made quick eye contact, and nearly killed with their glares.

"Well, throughout the day, we have gotten multiple calls from eyewitnesses claiming that Nesley over here is your attacker. But the only one who can confirm it is you." The first officer said.

"Tell us, is this the boy who assaulted you?" The other asked. Lucas almost immediately said 'yes', so that he could have the ultimate satisfaction of knowing that his tormentor was finally dealt with. He'd be able to go through high school and live a successful life.

But he didn't.

Instead, he made eye contact with Ness again. The expression on his face wasn't hatred anymore. It was terror.

And with that, time seemed to go in slow motion. Ness was completely terrified of the situation at hand. He seemed to almost telepathically send a plea, a beg saying "Please don't". Lucas realized that Ness' reason for not wanting to be arrested wasn't because he didn't want to pay the consequences.

'He doesn't want to leave Tracy.' Lucas thought. For the very first time in his five months of knowing this boy, he felt a slight pang of sympathy. Lucas cared deeply about Tracy as well, and knew that she loved her big brother more than life itself. He couldn't stand the idea of her being left in a neglectful home without Ness there to make sure she was taken care of. And actually, he couldn't stand the idea of Ness not being able to see his little sister on a daily basis.

' _Mom once said that anybody could change…_ ' He thought. He bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut. ' _Good lord, I hope you were right…'_

"No." He answered.

" _What?_ " Ness and the two officers said in usion.

"Uh...I mean...Yah, see? I told you, I didn't do it!" Ness confirmed.

"Lucas, we got a total of eleven calls from people who claimed to see Nesley physically attacking you and leaving the scene. Nearby footprints prove it is him, all evidence points to him. You're saying all of this isn't true?" Asked the first officer, putting a finger to her temple.

"I'm the victim, so I'm the most legit witness. Ness was there, but he didn't hurt me. He tried to help me. He was trying to drag me to safety; the witnesses must have confused this with him trying to hurt me. It was raining, they might not have seen it clearly." Lucas claimed.

"If he was trying to help you, why'd he leave you there?"

"I told him to. I'm one of those people who want to be left alone when they're hurt, so I asked him to go away. I told him that I'd be alright, and that I could get help myself. But after he left, I passed out. He did all that he could." Lucas explained. The officers wrote the new information down on a notepad.

"Very well. Are you able to describe your attacker?"

"No. They had a ski mask on, and I'm pretty sure they covered up their footprints. But they were short! About my height. And...Uh...I saw brown hair."

"What about clothing?"

"All black."

The officers scribbled down the remainder of the description and stood up.

"Thank you for your time, Lucas. We will contact you of anything comes up. Our apologies, Mr. Wyman, for our rough treatment." Apologized the first cop.

"Uhh...Yah! Yah, you'd better be sorry! You're lucky I don't make you lose your jobs." Ness told them, staring them down as they walked out of the room. When they were gone, he slowly turned to glance at Lucas. For once, he didn't have a look of hatred. A look of taunt. A look of anger.

He had a look of thanks.

He opened his mouth to say something, but Lucas interrupted.

"Go. Get outta here." He said.

Ness, without even so much as a nod, bolted out of the room. Lucas watched him go, and sighed when his footsteps stopped echoing from down the hall. He lay there for a moment, listening to the tick of the clock.

Then, he grabbed his pillow, shoved it over his face, and screamed in frustration.

"What the fuck?! What were you thinking, Lucas?! You aren't supposed to feel emotions towards this kid!" He shrieked, everything being muffled by the pillow. He whacked himself upside the head and put the pillow back. Damn, the others, especially Claus, weren't gonna be happy.

* * *

 

"Alright, Claus, you go ahead and leave early, go see your brother. I'll take care of the shop."

Claus turned from the sink, where he was washing a few of the blenders. His manager had just tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, Tessie, are you sure? You already gave me a few days off next week, I don't need to…"

"Lucas needs you right now, okay, hun? Go ahead and check out." Tessie guided Claus away from the sink and lightly pushed him to the back room. He grinned.

"You're too nice, Tessie. Thanks, I appreciate it." He said before waving goodbye and rushing to the employee room. He opened his locker, grabbed his backpack, and quickly changed into his casual clothing, hanging up his black dress shirt and green apron.

"Geez, Claus. Tessie's letting you go early again?" Asked a coworker.

"Yep. I swear, she's gonna ask me to quit if this carries on." Claus replied. He said a quick goodbye and made his way out the back door of the shop. He breathed in once outside, happy to be out of there. He swore that two years working in a stuffy coffee shop was driving him insane. Upon checking his phone, he saw that he had a message from Lucas.

- _"I just did the stupidest thing in the world."_

Claus was slightly concerned, but shrugged it off. His phone was almost out of battery, so he stuffed it back into his pocket and continued walking. Hands in his pockets, he casually began to make his way to the hospital.

At one point, someone passed him, and did a double take upon seeing him.

"Hold on." The person said, putting a hand on Claus' shoulder to stop him.

"Huh?"

"What…? How did you…?"

Claus was confused. This kid looked about his age, and slightly familiar. Black hair, blue eyes...where had he seen this person before?

"How did you get out of the hospital so early?" The boy asked.

"Wha…?"

"I'm pretty sure we broke your leg, so how're you walking? And what's with the scar? Hell, you dyed your hair, too?" Claus was suddenly pushed up against the brick wall behind him, an uncomfortable amount of pressure being inflicted on his arm. "I want answers, Lucas. What's going on? Are you gonna tell me, or will I have to make you?"

Everything clicked inside of Claus' mind.

" _You're the one._ " He narrowed his eyes.

"What?"

"You're Ness, aren't you? You're the one who hurt my twin!" Claus shouted, pushing Ness away from him.

"What? You're not making any se…" Ness paused, and observed Claus a little more. "...Ohhhh...I see." He murmured with a smirk.

"What?!"

"I didn't know Pretty Boy had a brother…I thought you were Lucas for a second, Gingersnap."

"Don't call me that! How could you do that to him?! He did nothing to you! And shouldn't you be in police custody by now?!" Claus cried hysterically.

"Sorry to break the news to you, but they already let me go."

"Are you kidding me?!"

"No! And you know what? You can ask your brother why they let me go! He'll have an interesting answer." Ness said.

"Fine! I'll go to the hospital right now. But one way or another, I will make sure you face the consequences!" Claus turned around and began to sprint. He had actually left because he didn't want a fight, not nearby a public place. He couldn't believe how stupid he was. For talking to Ness like that, he could be the one getting arrested.

But he didn't care. He jogged the rest of the way to the hospital, and minutes later, he was in Lucas' room.

"Then this kid thinks I'm you! He called me a Gingersnap! Gingersnap cookies aren't even  _orange_  or anything, they're...brown or something! Like, if you're gonna make a insult about my hair, at least call me something that's actually red! Not something that's...that's freakin'  _brown_!"

Claus was pacing around the room, ranting on about what had happened. Kumatora, Paula, and Ninten were also there, standing awkwardly at the end of the room.

"Can you go calm him down?" Lucas asked, tugging on Ninten's shirt sleeve.

"What? No! You go do it, he's _your_ brother."

"First of all, I can't walk. Second of all, he's _your_ boyfriend."

"But…"

Both of them glanced over at Claus, who was still going off about something that was now completely off subject.

"Come to think of it, why do they call them Gingersnaps anyway?! I know that they're made of ginger, but what about the colour! I mean...Brownsnaps doesn't sound any better, but at least it works! And what about Canada Dry, or whatever it's called?! Made of real ginger?! Are you fuckin' kidding me?! It's not even _red!_ "

At this point, Ninten had already rushed over and grabbed Claus' hand, leading him to the chairs nearby and sitting him down. Claus had calmed down at this point, and sat there, panting.

"And what's worse...He didn't get arrested." Claus muttered.

"Huh? Why not? Were the phone calls not enough?" Asked Paula.

"I don't know, but he said ask Lucas, because he-"

Claus stopped midway through his sentence, and the four of them turned to stare at Lucas, who shifted around uncomfortably.

"Lucas?" Claus said, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh...Yah?" Lucas replied, fidgeting.

"What happened? Did the cops not believe you?" Asked Kumatora, cracking her knuckles.

"Ummmm...Well, they did, but…" Lucas rubbed the back of his neck.

"Lucas." Paula's tone of voice sharpened.

" _I didn't tell the truth!_ I...I bailed him out!" Lucas confessed.

" _What?!_ " All four of the others shouted in unison. Lucas shielded his face as the others all advanced on him, shocked looks on their faces.

"What were you thinking?! That was the one chance we had to get Ness out of our lives! Why'd you let him go?!" Cried Ninten.

"I...I don't know!" Lucas stubbornly turned away.

"Why don't you know?"

"I don't  _know!"_

"Lucas, don't tell me you felt  _sorry_ for him. Because you have a tendency to feel sorry for...well, everybody." Paula said.

"No! Why would I feel sorry for  _him?_  I'd never do that." Lucas bluffed, crossing his arms.

" _Lucas…"_

" _Except_ for this one time! I'm sorry, you guys! But I was thinking about Tracy, and I just…" Lucas trailed off and bit his lip shamefully, feeling a slight water in his eyes. The others in the room looked at each other and softened their expressions.

"Lucas…" Paula walked over to her friend and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You have this weird power to see the good in everybody. Even in people...well, like Ness. That's something only a few select people can do, is see everyone's potential to change. But...not everyone has that potential." She explained, sitting down on the hospital bed.

"Everyone  _does!_ I bailed out Ness because he's just a kid, like us. No matter how fucked up he is, he's still in his early years. Even he deserves a chance to grow into a good person. Everyone deserves a second chance." Lucas said.

"He's already  _had_ that chance! And his third, and his fourth, and his fifth!" Kumatora argued.

"So  _what?!_ You won't always get things right on the first try! If you throw a puzzle into the air, you can't expect all the pieces to fall to the ground in its perfect shape. You've gotta put it back together. Sometimes, you'll get frustrated, and give up. Other times, you'll try again. It's the same thing with Ness. He's been broken, and he hasn't taken any action in fixing himself. That's why I bailed him out. I'm putting the puzzle back together." Lucas finished, eyebrows knitted and eyes narrowed in a confirming expression.

"Hold on; you're trying to  _convert_ Ness or something? Lucas, he's already put you in the hospital. Just think about what he'll do if you try and mess with him again?" Ninten reminded.

"Then we'll decide that I was wrong. If he seems to have no hope for changing, we'll call the police and tell them what really happened. But for now, let Ness do his thing. Besides, his little sister needs him. He's the only one who understands her." Lucas said. His friends shared collective glances, as if they were mentally debating with each other over whether they should let Lucas go along with his plan, or put him in a mental hospital at that moment. Paula finally sighed.

"Lucas, I was your first friend at this school, and it's my role to support you in everything. That being said, I'll let you go through with this. But I'm not doing this for Ness. I couldn't care less about him. I  _am_ doing it for you, and that poor little girl. As much as I loathe that kid, you're right. His sister wouldn't last a month without him around." She decided.

"I agree with Paula. I just want to protect Tracy." Claus said.

"Same with me." Said Ninten.

"I really don't care about the little girl at all, I'm just doin' it for Lucas." Kumatora claimed. The others shot dIrty looks at her. " _Kidding!"_

Lucas smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, you guys. Trust me, I want Ness doing community service for five months just as much as you all do. But I also want him to get over this fake shell he puts over himself at school. Talk to all the others, make sure they don't call the cops again. I promise, I'll do my best to make both ours and Ness' lives better."


	7. Flip The Switch

"Alright, how do those feel?"

When Jeff took his hands away from Lucas' shoulders and allowed him to stand up freely, Lucas cried out as he began to tip over a bit.

"They're too high, I think." Lucas commented. Jeff rushed to his side and adjusted the crutches, lowering them a bit.

"How 'bout now?"

"That's good, thanks."

Claus stood up and patted his brother on the shoulder.

"How's it feel being the cripple of the family now?" Claus teased.

"Oh, hush! At least I can actually  _walk_ , you were in a wheelchair for almost a year!" Lucas shot back, grinning.

"I can push you over right now, and I won't help you stand back up."

Jeff rolled his eyes.

"The fact that you two are able to joke about that...incredible." He said. Caus shrugged and sat back down in his chair.

"We kinda put the whole ordeal behind us, and we kinda have some dark humor moments here and there." He admitted.

"Yep. It happened in the past, and it's all over now. So why should we stay serious about it?" Lucas added.

"That's... actually a really good view to have on the subject, I'm impressed." Said Jeff. He grabbed his car keys from the window ledge they sat on. "So, I imagine you don't want to spend another waking moment in the hospital, so what do you say? Let's go." He said.

After the first attempt to go down the stairs failed due to Lucas nearly falling over three times, the three of them then decided to use an elevator instead. This backfired, of course, when Jeff nearly threw up. At last, they managed to reach the final floor of the hospital, and exit the building.

"Fresh air! The outdoors! Civilization! Yessss!" Lucas cried. This excitement was short lived, because it took more time than expected to get him into the car without breaking his leg even more than it already was. It was even more difficult getting him  _out_ of the car once they reached the twins' apartment.

At last, Lucas was back on his feet and thanking Jeff for the ride home. One last long struggle to get to the apartment room, and the agonizing trip was finally done.

"Oh my  _god."_ Lucas breathed upon sitting down on the couch and setting his crutches to the side. Claus sat down beside him.

"It's been hard sleeping at night without you there." Claus confessed.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about that anymore."

"Yah. How're you feeling? Anything hurting at all?"

"Well, my chest hurts like hell, but that's normal. I'm just happy that I'm  _home._ " Lucas got up once more and made his way to their father and mother's photos, which were on a bookshelf, accompanied by two candles. He leaned onto one of his crutches and kept himself upright. He opened up a drawer and pulled out a lighter, then lit the two candles like he did every day. Not being able to do this in the hospital was upsetting.

"They would've been really proud of what you did, Lucas. Well, mom would, at least." Claus said, walking over to join his twin.

"What did I do?" Asked Lucas.

"The way you bailed out Ness. Listen, I'm not saying  _I_ think it was a good idea, but mom would have. I think it's sweet, you were just looking out for that little girl." Claus admitted. He picked up Hinawa's picture frame and ran his finger along her face.

"I was looking out for Ness, too. Believe it or not, I was actually feeling really sorry for him. He doesn't exactly have the perfect life, you know." Lucas said.

" _Whaaat?_ Are you kidding? He has everything in the world going on for him." Claus said, skeptical.

"Not everything." Lucas told him. He turned to look at the picture of Fint, their father.

That poor boy.

* * *

The was a knock at the door.

Ness got up from his desk, where he was previously finishing homework. Instead of opening the door, he pressed the side of his face against it.

"You don't have to knock, Tracy. I know it's you, I can hear your bracelets." He said.

"I know." Tracy replied. Red flags went up inside Ness' mind. Something was wrong. The tone of her voice was intensely depressing. Ness opened up his bedroom door and saw his sister standing there, clutching a handful of orange post it notes. She was staring at the ground, biting her lower lip. She still had her school attire on, so she must've just gotten home.

"Tracy? What's the matter?" Ness asked, tilting his head to the side. Tracy didn't answer, but she squeezed the post it notes tighter, nearly crumpling them. Ness bent down onto one knee so that he was around her height. With a hand on her chin, he gently tilted her face up so that she could look at him. Her eyes were dull and darkened.

"Hey, look at me. What's up?" He repeated. Tracy glanced down at her post it notes, then back at Ness.

"Nesley...What do you do when you feel like a bad person?" She murmured.

"Oh...Well…" Ness didn't know how to answer that. He knew all about being a bad person, but he never did anything about it. "Why do you feel like a bad person?" He asked.

Tracy looked out the door, probably making sure their parents weren't around. She shut the door and sat down next to her brother. She handed the notes to him.

"Because I did bad things." She muttered.

Ness sorted through the notes, and realized that they were written by her third grade teacher.

" _Tracy pushed another child today, nearly running her into a tree."_

" _She lashed out in class, pinning down the boy next to her. She hit this boy, but only once._

" _Refused to apologize after insulting a classmate deliberately."_

Ness read through all of them. Each one described his sister committing offensive actions, one after the other, ever since about a month back. He began to feel horrified, as he realized one thing.

Tracy was just like him.

"Oh god...Tracy, were you hiding these from mom and dad?" Ness questioned, looking back at Tracy, who was curled up into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest and hiding her face.

"Yah."

"Why?"

Tracy didn't answer. She lifted her face and leaned her head against the wall.

"Mom keeps telling me how much I need to be a good girl. If I'm not, dad's gonna get a bad reputation, and he's gonna lose his role in the city. I can't let them find out that I hurt another kid." She confessed, sniffling.

"You should have at least told  _me._ Why didn't you?" Ness asked her.

Tracy hesitated before answering. "I was afraid you wouldn't want to be my brother anymore." She replied in a hushed voice.

Ness knew that all the claims his peers at school made saying that he was "heartless" were definitely false now, because hearts couldn't break if you didn't have one. What was left of his own shattered upon hearing Tracy's words.

"Oh, god...No, no, no, don't you  _ever_ think that, okay? What put that idea in your head? I will  _always_ want to be your brother, alright?" Ness assured, pulling his sister close and allowing her to bury her face into his neck.

"...Who would want a mean person as a sister?" Tracy said.

"You are  _not_ a mean person, Tracy. Sometimes, people can do a few horrible things. No one lives life without a few sins here and there. But you're only teasing the other kids because you're mad, not because you  _want_  to, right?"

"Yeah."

"And...also, can I tell you something?"

"M'kay."

"I...Well, I haven't exactly been the nicest person at my school either." Ness admitted. Tracy glanced up, surprised.

" _You?_ But you're so nice at home!"

"Not around the other students, I'm not. I haven't been ever since middle school. I've said and done things I am not and will never be proud of. And...you know Lucas?"

"Mhmm."

"I lied about being friends with him. I actually haven't been treating him very well lately."

There was a long, torturing silence that bit at Ness each second it dragged on. Tracy stared down, unable to look her brother in the eye. Ness silently regretted telling her about how he'd been mistreating the only other person she loved more than him. Tracy looked back up at him.

"...Why?" Was all she asked.

"Because I just had to try and take him down. The first day of school, he ran into me in the hallway, and I sensed a kind of weakness coming from him, so I was convinced that I could overthrow him. And when he started watching you when mom and dad weren't home, guess what?"

"What?"

"I got jealous." Ness stated.

"What? How come?" Tracy asked.

"You and Lucas were just so close. I hated him more at this point than I did before, I don't even know why I hated him in the first place. I was afraid you'd want him as some kind of a second brother, and eventually, he'd replace me." Ness said.

"S'alright, Nesley. I won't replace you, promise."

The siblings stayed quiet for a while. Ness tried to think of something to say, until he broke the last bit of the ice.

"Now, do you wanna tell me why you hurt those other kids?" He asked. Tracy sighed.

"I...Well, I was mad at them." She replied.

"Why's that?"

"They've all got...you know."

"What?"

"You know, good families. We have a bad one. A  _real_ bad one." Tracy reminded. Ness shrugged his shoulders a bit and looked down, sighing.

"It may be true, yah. We don't have the best family, but does that give you an excuse to attack other kids?"

"Does it give  _you_ one?"

Ness went silent, and got lost in his own deep thought. Every insult he had ever thrown at someone, when he came to think of it, was fueled by anger. Anger that came from the miserable life he was living. In that one instant, Ness' entire view changed. He only hurt other people because he needed to feel powerful. He needed to feel accomplished, something his parents never allowed him to do. Everything he did was never good enough.

But then there was Lucas…

He could've killed him, Ness realized. He could've ruined his whole life, with one mistake.

But Lucas still let him go.

That day in the hospital room, the split second Ness made eye contact with his victim after the police left. He could still remember the bittersweet glare Lucas had. He couldn't push away the image. A sinking feeling in his stomach deepened. Was this what guilt felt like? He hadn't felt guilt in so long, he had no idea.

As he sat there on his bedroom floor with his little sister still tightly clinging to him, Ness slowly wrapped his arms around her and began to run his fingers through her hair, something he knew would calm her down.

"You know what?" He murmured, "If I promise you I'll try and fix myself, you have to promise me that you'll fix yourself, too. Deal?" He raised his hand, pinky finger outstretched. Tracy sniffled and smiled, wrapping her little finger around his to make a pinky promise.

"Deal." She said.

* * *

"Look at  _you,_ Crutchie!" Exclaimed Ana.

"Oh, hush." Lucas pretended to look hurt and looked away, leaning on one of his crutches.

"Come on, can't have an attitude like that when you're out sellin' newspapers in New York!" Kumatora taunted with a faked Brooklyn accent.

"Guys, come on, give him a break. Lucas hasn't been to school in ages, we can't start picking on him just yet." Paula shrugged her bag back onto her shoulders before it slipped off. She looked behind her to see a group of students passing by, whispering and pointing.

"God, why can't people mind their own business?" Jeff sneered, noticing the group too. Everyone know the students were talking about Lucas.

"Something tells me rumors are spreading. One kid actually had to ask me if it was true that I stabbed Ness. As much as I wish I could've said yes to that, he looked so disappointed when I said no." Lucas recalled, laughing a bit.

"I heard one person ask if you died." Kumatora said, playing with her chewing gum by stretching it until it broke.

"I hope you said no?" Paula advised.

" _Well_ …" Kumatora replied. Paula rolled her eyes and swatted at Kumatora with her hand.

"What I'm curious to see is how people react to Ness coming to school. Everybody's gonna expect to see him in prison or something." Ninten said.

"Technically, since Ness is only seventeen, he most likely wouldn't be put in jail. If he were older, he could possibly have been given about one to three years for a sentence. But even if Lucas didn't bail him out, the most he'd get would be a few months in a youth detention centre, or community service." Jeff explained.

"Damn...Well, actually, I wouldn't mind that. If he were in prison, he'd be doing nothing. It brings me pleasure knowing he'd be somewhere  _painting a wall_ , and getting paint all over his annoyingly handsome face." Ninten said. Lucas groaned.

"Now I feel  _guilty!"_ He complained, pouting.

The five minute warning bell rang suddenly, and the group began to make their way to the entrance of the school. Lucas felt a sense of dread upon reaching his locker and getting his stuff. He did not want to go back to school again, mainly being afraid of what others would say about him. His mom had always taught him not to care about what others thought, but it was definitely easier said than done.

"Hey!" A voice behind him made him jump.

"Ah! What is it…?" Lucas turned around and saw two students he'd never met before. They look excited. "Look, if you want to know about the whole ordeal with me and Ness, I'm not interested in talking about it." He said.

"No, that's not what we're talking about! We just wanna say that you are going to do  _such_ a good job in the school musical." One of the students said.

"Yah, congratulations on the role!" Said the other.

Lucas' mind went blank and he stared at the two, completely lost. He had auditioned, but he hadn't expected to actually get a part.

"...Thanks?" He murmured, and the students walked away. He grabbed his books and limped towards the school's Drama classroom, where the cast list would be posted. He saw that Ninten, Ana, and Tony were already there. Tony noticed him, gasped, and smiled.

"You guys,  _there he is…"_ He whispered.

"Tony?  _What's going on?"_ Lucas asked. Ninten giggled, and pointed to the cast list, pinned up in all of it's glory.

"Lookit." He said.

Lucas squinted to read the small text on the page, started at the top, and began to list off names.

"Don't know him...don't know him...Oh! Ninten is Marius! Nicely done! Don't know her...Don't kn-"

It couldn't be. Right up there with the main characters...was that his name? It must've been a typo. There had to be another Lucas at the school. His heart started to pound in a combination of nervousness and achievement. It definitely wasn't a typo. Written there were the words:

**Lucas Dolray: Cosette Fauchelevent**

" _No way!"_ He shrieked. His friends all hugged him and let out squeals of excitement, ignoring the stares from other peers.

"I told you! I  _told_ you that you were good enough!" Ana fist bumped him.

"' _I'm just gonna audition for the fun of it, guys. I don't think I'm all that great.'_ Screw that nonsense, you're one of the principal characters!" Tony cried.

"I...I guess I am good enough, huh?" Lucas replied.

Suddenly, a realization hit him like a brick. His excitement sank like a stone in water. There was one little problem.

"Wait...isn't Cosette…?" He trailed off. Ninten smirked and nodded.

"You gon' be a woman." Ninten said, patting him on the arm gently.

"Wait, but I'm a dude! I can't play the role of a  _girl!_ " Lucas pulled back his dress shirt and looked down. "I don't even have-"

" _Okay,_ let's put the shirt back…" Tony insisted, "There's a way to fix that, genius. Stuff the dress."

"And honestly, boys play the part of girls  _all the time._  You'll be fine, kiddo!" Ana assured. "What you  _should_ be worrying about is pretending to be in love with Ninten."

Lucas turned to Ninten, eyes wide. Ninten smiled and pointed finger guns at him.

"Claus is going to be  _pissed."_ Lucas muttered, eyes wide.

"No he's  _not_ …." Insisted Tony.

"Have you  _met_ him?" Both Lucas and Ninten said in sync.

Before the conversation could carry on, the first period bell rang and the hallway began to empty. Lucas' friends all congratulated him once again, and went their separate ways.

After an ordeal where Lucas stumbled, dropped his binder on the ground, and sent papers flying, he finally made it to his desk five minutes late. Surprisingly, his teacher didn't give him any consequences.

And upon getting to his desk, he made the slightest bit of eye contact with Ness, who looked away quickly.

Lucas ended up not paying attention to the whole class, because he kept staring at the desk a few rows in front of him. He couldn't take his eyes off of the back of that black hair. Something was wrong.

Ness looked  _horrible._

Rather than sitting upright and focused, he seemed incredibly bothered and was hunched over. His hair was a mess. Not in the way it usually was, the "slightly unkempt" look. It was tangled and matted, as if he'd put no effort into styling or brushing it. He was constantly running a hand through his hair while sighing stressfully, and there were several moments through the class where he clicked his pen multiple times, much to the annoyance of other students.

Lucas continued to observe his enemy, who was now lying face-first against his desk. He managed to catch a glimpse of Ness' face.

Just like the rest of him, it looked awful. Dark circles under the eyes, undone eyebrows, the lack of confident shine in his irises. He just...stared into space. Lucas couldn't make out any emotion of sadness or fear, just an expressionless gaze.

"Nesley?"

Ness shot up when he heard the English teacher call his name.

"Y-yes ma'am!" He stammered.

"Were you paying attention just then? You seem to have other interests at the moment." The teacher told him. A few students giggled.

"I...I was listening! I promise…!" Ness insisted.

"Fine, then. What was the answer to the question I just asked?"

"Um…"

Ness glanced around, pretending to think about it. The question had asked the class about what the most common form of ameteur poetry was used in North America.

Lucas mentally punched himself in the face for the fifth time that day, and decided to help. When Ness eventually turned to catch his gaze, he tapped his desk slightly to alert him.

" _Acrostic."_ He mouthed as unsuspiciously as possible. Ness narrowed his eyes slightly, but turned back to the teacher and repeated the answer.

"Acrostic."

"Correct. Please try to stay more alert."

Ness slightly turned to look back when the teacher returned to the whiteboard, and nodded a bit to Lucas, as if thanking him in a way. He still sent a threatening look, however. Lucas knew that the fight still wasn't over.

So, he did what any sane person would do.

He ripped a small bit of paper from his notebook and quickly scribbled something down. He rolled it up into a little ball and aimed carefully, then tossed it to Ness' desk. He missed, and it landed on the floor, but Ness still noticed. He glared, annoyed, at Lucas and bent down to fetch the note.

Then, Lucas waited.

Ness' hand shot up, but he was still looking down at the little strip of paper.

"Yes?" The teacher gestured to him.

"Can I be excused for a while?" Ness asked. Of course, by a while, he meant for the rest of the class. Due to his shaky voice and lack of eye contact, the teacher knew he needed a personal moment.

"Very well." She granted his request. Ness gathered up his things and sprinted out of the classroom as fast as he could.

He didn't want to let anyone see him cry.

Lucas knew this, and returned to focusing on the lesson. But he knew that the hatred between him and Ness would be gone very soon, all on account of the note he had sent seconds before:

" _It'll all be okay. I believe in you."_

* * *

It was raining again. How this was happening in late winter in the city, Lucas didn't know. Some sort of weather phenomenon or whatever. But now, he was focused on getting home.

It had been almost a month since his last encounter with Ness, and the days without a single insult or injury felt like school was some sort of heaven. That, combined with the relief of being off crutches made life a lot easier.

Lucas pulled his hood over to protect his hair from the rain, and walked back around the school to get to the road that led to downtown. He looked up at the gray sky and smiled. He liked the rain, even when remains of snow still covered the ground.

Although the stress of rehearsals for the Spring production was stressful, he knew that it would pay off in the end. Playing a girl character wasn't as bad as he thought. He got a surprisingly low amount of teasing.

Things seemed to be going good.

"Hello?"

Lucas nearly tripped. He could recognize Ness' voice from anywhere, and the noirette was definitely the one speaking. He seemed incredibly troubled. There was a muffled, quieter voice in response, and Lucas guessed he was probably on the phone. He froze where he stood and slowly crept over a bit, looking past the wall.

Of course, there was Ness. His back turned, one hand in his pocket and the other holding up a cell phone. He turned slightly, and Lucas ducked back behind the wall.

"Sorry dad, I...Yeah, I'm coming home. I had a student council meeting because we cancelled it this morning." Pause. "I  _did_ call you! Like, four times!" Another pause. Ness scoffed, "It's not  _my_  fault your phone was turned off. Um! I mean…! Sorry, dad. Oh, right! Uh... _sir_."

Lucas frowned. He must've had a pretty strict parent. It made sense, politicians needed a good family reputation.

"Wait, what?" Ness asked, "N...no, I think my hair looks fine, why would I want to cut it?" Pause. "A lot of boys my age have this style, sir. What? No, no, of course not! I'm straight, honest! So are the other kids! But...why does my choice of appearance reflect my sexuality…?" Pause. "Well...there's no such thing as a 'gay' haircut, I mean…"

This time, a long pause. Lucas could hear pacing.

"Yah...okay. Alright, I'll go to the stylist tomorrow. Okay. Yes, dad. Bye." A beep signified the end of the call. Ness sighed.

"Crazy bastard…" He muttered.

Lucas hadn't realized how far he was leaning, and felt a pebble slip from underneath his foot. In a fraction of a second, Lucas caught himself and hid behind the wall before Ness could turn around and spot him. He crossed his fingers and prayed he wouldn't investigate.

"I know you're there, Nancy Drew. Don't try and hide yourself." Ness called after him.

"Listen, I don't want trouble…" Lucas slowly revealed himself, taking small steps towards Ness, but still staying in contact with the wall.

"What do  _you_ want? You say you don't  _want_ trouble, but here you are  _looking_  for it." Ness shot back, clenching his fists as a warning.

"No, I just-"

"Not to mention you were just  _spying_ on me!"

"I wasn't spying! I just happened to walk by and hear the conversation!"

"The  _whole thing?"_

Lucas opened his mouth to defend himself, but couldn't think of an excuse. He shook his head and took another step forward.

"I just want to resolve this." He assured.

"Resolve  _what?!_ Why am I even still here? I don't need you around!"

"You need someone to  _talk to!_ You're just trying to convince yourself that you don't!"

Ness squinted in disgust and backed up.

"I have people who I can talk to, just lay off!" He said.

"What, your 'friends'? The ones who only hang around you because of your status? Tell me, have any of them ever asked how you were feeling? Have any of them asked about your home life at all?" Lucas asked. Ness took another step back, eyebrows knitted.

"I…! Well, no! They don't have too! Because everything is fine, okay?" He responded.

"Two months ago, I would've done anything to try and get away from you! Now it's the exact opposite! Am I  _threatening?_  Is that it?" Lucas advanced.

"No! I'm just getting annoyed by you! How about you go away before I make you?!" Ness replied, taking two steps forward.

"What are you gonna do, hurt me? Because I can easily call the cops again, and this time, I won't feel sorry for you!" Lucas threatened. Ness realized he was hopeless. He relaxed his tense body and sighed in frustration.

"Fine,  _fine._ What do you want?" He asked with a slightly softer tone.

"I want to know  _why_."

"Why what?"

" _You know what_."

Ness lowered his gaze as if in shame. He seemed to be searching for an answer, stuttering and trying to form words. He threw his arms up and sat down in the dirt, covering his face with his hands. He murmured something Lucas couldn't hear.

"What was that?" Lucas asked, kneeling down.

"It's an addiction!" Ness repeated. "There, happy? It's like a drug addiction. It was something I did once, and I just couldn't stop after that."

Ness' entire voice changed. He spoke in a gentle, saddened tone. Lucas was surprised that he was giving information this easily. Ness picked up a leaf from the ground and started ripping it up into pieces.

"Can you tell me what you're addicted to?" Lucas asked. Ness took a while to answer.

"Pain." He murmured. "In fifth grade, something really bad happened to me. I went to school the next day just... _mad_ at everyone. I spent the whole day wanting to push someone. So, I did."

"Who was it?"

"Ninten. We already weren't getting along...but I shoved him, he shoved back, and we just never spoke to each other again. But after that, I couldn't stop." Ness explained.

"You needed to feel more powerful." Lucas guessed.

"Kinda, yeah. I felt so weak that day, that I just  _had_ to hurt someone. I needed to be at the top of the food chain. It's fuckin' stupid, I know…"

"No, it makes sense. Everybody has a motive."

"Well, yeah, but I had a stupid motive."

"No! People are different! Some are more sensitive to things that happen to them. You felt small and weak in that moment, and you took action to make yourself feel strong again." Lucas insisted.

"And after that…" Ness trailed off.

"Yes?"

"I couldn't stop."

There was a long pause. Ness seemed to be building up courage to say something, so Lucas let him take his time.

' _This is progress…'_ Lucas thought. He didn't expect Ness to be this easy to talk to. He barely needed any prompting to explain everything.

"So when I stood up to you on the first day…" Lucas reminded.

"Dammit, I didn't know what to  _do!_ People have told me off before, and I've always managed to set them straight, but  _you!_ You never quit! You just had to...come mess everything up." Ness turned away and crossed his arms.

"I am not apologizing for that." Lucas told him. "You and I both know that you aren't the victim of this whole thing."

"Of course I fucking know that, so why are you still here?" Ness' voice returned to its usual demeanor.

"Because I said you weren't  _the_ victim, I never said you weren't  _a_ victim. I want to help you!" Lucas insisted.

"I don't need you, okay? Neither of us like being around each other, so why can't you just leave me alone?!"

"Because  _I need someone too!_  I know what it's like!"

Ness paused, and for a small fraction of a moment, he seemed to have a look of genuine sympathy.

"What do you mean?" He muttered, tilting his head.

"Your phone conversation...I'm guessing that was your dad." Lucas said, putting his hands in his pockets and looking down.

"My 'dad'...heh, that's a laugh. Can't even call him that anymore." Ness replied.

"Well, in that case, I guess I have my own story to tell. You already know I have a twin. But, the thing is, Claus was...well, you know. The  _favourite._ To my dad, at least. When we were growing up, he was faster, stronger, smarter, more confident. I was never good enough. My dad barely spoke to me, so I was convinced I was born wrong. Sound familiar?" Lucas prompted.

"...I guess. But-"

"Thought so. You and I have something in common."

"And you're bringing this up...why?"

"Because...well, the first thing you should do when making a friend is find things you have in common, right?"

Ness stared at him, bewildered. Then, he dug his fingers into the dirt below him and began to dig holes in the ground. He looked down and bit the collar of his hoodie. He was incredibly troubled. It took him a few seconds, but he relaxed and hugged his knees to his chest.

Lucas guessed that no one had ever proposed the idea of being friends with him for a long time.

"Hey, how about this." He said, "What's your favourite band?"

"What?" Asked Ness, glancing back at him.

"You heard me. Do you have one?"

Ness seemed a bit surprised at the question due to it's lack of relation. He hesitated. "DCMC." He answered quietly.

"Really? Me too! Who's your favourite member?"

"OJ is awesome! He's just so talented!" Ness excitedly replied, eyes shining. He bit his lip suddenly and glared back down, "Not that it's all that important or anything, though."

"No, I saw that. You see how happy you got? You found someone who likes the same thing as you. Tell me more, why do you like their music?" Lucas asked.

"I...um, well...their lyrics really...connect with me. Like...I can totally relate. Really just everything, the structure, the melody, the passion! It's really complicated with me, I guess it just appeals to me." Ness paused as he caught himself rambling again. For once, he enjoyed the company of Lucas. No one had ever wanted to hear more about what he liked, not for the past few years, at least.

"That's awesome. You know what? It's all the same with me." Lucas replied.

"It's the same with a lot of people. DCMC's definitely my favourite, up there with Runaway Five."

"I've never heard of Runaway Five, are they good?"

"They're amazing! I can lend you some of their albums."

"I'd like that, thanks."

Ness suddenly realized how he was speaking towards Lucas. How he was acting. His tone of voice, his body language. He was surprising himself. He was being nice.

"I-I mean...um…"

"So?" Lucas began.

"What?"

"We've talked for a bit, we've found a few things in common, neither of us are in an ambulance yet...that's some pretty good criteria for being friends, don't you think?"

Ness frowned.

"But...what about...you know…"

"Who cares? I don't. I mean, sure, that's a black mark, but it's not happening now. It probably won't happen again." Lucas insisted, smiling. "Hate the sin, love the sinner."

"What?"

"What you did was  _bad,_ but it doesn't define you as a person."

"...Oh, I get it." Ness went silent for a few moments. "You really think it'd work out?"

Lucas stood up, dusted himself off, and held out his hand.

"The only person who can answer that is you."

Ness' hand twitched. His first instinct was to accept the offer for help with standing up. He couldn't believe how he felt at the moment. On one side, he was upset with himself. Why was he even around Lucas? And why was he  _enjoying_ it? But on the other side, he was thankful. He had once known what having a genuine friend was like, and Lucas had brought the nostalgia of it all back.

Then he remembered his promise to Tracy.

Maybe it wouldn't  _hurt..._

Slowly, he reached up, and took Lucas' hand, accepting the assistance.

"Friends." Ness murmured. "That doesn't sound all that bad."

"Not at all. If you ever feel weak, remember that violence, whether it be to yourself or someone else, is never the answer, 'kay? Come to me. We'll talk about stuff. That's what friends do. Remember; it'll all be okay. I believe in you." Lucas promised, lifting his backpack off of the ground and slinging it over his shoulder.

And just like that, he left.

Ness stood there, puzzled, confused, conflicted, and...happy. What had just happened? He watched the figure of Lucas disappear from view, and he reached into his pocket, pulling out the note he had been given in class. He read over the text one, two, three times. Those words written on a piece of notebook paper with a chewed up pencil gave him more comfort than anything had in the past six years.

Friends.

He had a friend.

It felt nice.


	8. Trying

"You what?!"

"Claus, don't freak out-"

"That guy put you in the  _hospital!_ "

"I know, but-"

"He  _ruined_  your confidence…"

"I know, but-"

"He called me a  _Gingersnap Cookie_! Lucas, what has gotten into you?" Claus ran a hand through his hair and sighed."I can't believe this. You finally make a friend outside of your group and it's him?!" He cried.

"At least it's progress, okay? I'm trying to help him! Remember, Ness has his side of the story too!" Argued Lucas.

"He has no excuse for how he treated you, and everyone else! Besides, he already has his own group!"

"Those people don't care about him, Claus! I'm the only one who has genuinely cared about him at this school, not his status!"

"He's gonna leave you. People can't just change, Lucas." Claus insisted.

"Of course they can! People can change in seconds, in some cases! And that's what Ness did! Just give him a chance!" Lucas pleaded, putting a hand on his brother's arm, but was shrugged away.

"You do this with everybody, Lucas. You constantly forgive anybody who doesn't deserve it, no matter what they did to you!"

"That's because everyone deserves to be forgiven! No matter what we've done, we're all human! We all have the ability to change who we are! But apparently, you don't!"

"I swear to god…You know what? We'll talk about it later, your bus is here." Claus gestured to the approaching transit bus.

"Whatever." Muttered Lucas. He grabbed his bag off of the bench and entered the bus, without so much as a "goodbye".

He had been expecting the overwhelming feeling of dread and guilt that was sure to come, and it crashed into him like a wave. This happened every time he and Claus had a fight, and he knew that he'd return home later and they'd figure everything out, but it still hurt. However, despite his guilt, he was also frustrated with his twin. Claus just didn't understand.

Suddenly, his phone buzzed. He opened up his notifications and saw a text from an unknown number.

- **Hi lucas**

Lucas clicked on the message, and with a small gasp, he realized it was Ness, due to the previous threatening messages that had been sent. Lucas quickly deleted all of the old texts before responding.

-Hi! :3 :3

- **are you coming to school today**

-Yes :3 Why?

- **how should we tell everyone :p**

Lucas knew that by "everyone", Ness meant his group of friends.

-Meet me at the cafeteria at your 2:30 spare, we'll go to the table together. :) :)

- **kk ;0**

Was he really talking to the same person? It was as if he was texting someone from his friend group. Lucas smiled to himself and leaned against the side of the bus, staring out the window at the city passing by. Everything seemed so peaceful now. All weekend, he had been incredibly anxious, with a constant feeling of fluttering in his chest that ceased to go away no matter how much he took his mind off of the situation. But at the same time, he felt very accomplished. And that was enough for him.

* * *

"They're gonna make me leave."

"No they are  _not_ , will you stop saying that? They were your friends once, they can find it in their hearts to connect with you again, I'm sure of it."

Ness scoffed and put his hands in his sweatshirt pockets and glared down at the tiled hallway floor. Lucas noticed him do this and sighed.

"You know, you could at least try to look presentable." He muttered.

"You want me to put you in the fuckin' ground again?" Ness shot back.

"Oh please. No more than a month and a half ago, you cared more about your face than you cared about your future. Just try and start looking like 'Ness' again." Lucas protested, crossing his arms.

"And look like a total asshole again? Yah, no thanks."

"Come on, you can present yourself however you want."

" _Shit, there they are…!_ " Ness stopped in his tracks and backed up a bit once spotting his old friends gathered at their usual lunch table.

"Great, let's go." Lucas motioned for him to follow.

"I don't wanna." Ness decided.

"For heaven's sake...it's now or never! Come on!" Lucas grabbed hold of his new friend's arm and began to drag him. Ness only responded with minor force, but eventually groaned and gave in, following.

"Listen, I'm freaked out too. But you and I both know these guys well. They won't just throw you under the rug." Lucas assured.

"But…" Ness attempted to make a comeback to disprove the statement. He couldn't think of anything. He instead stopped talking and swallowed multiple times to try and soothe the sinking feeling. This wasn't going to go well.

Finally, the duo reached the table. Kumatora was the one to look up first, and she only saw Lucas at first.

"Hey, dude! You're kinda late, we-" She paused mid sentence as her predatory eyes shifted to Ness. Her face formed into a scowl, and she knitted her eyebrows. The others noticed this, and all turned around, before all making the same half disgusted, half confused face.

"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm late, I brought a new guy." Lucas stated boldly. Paula stood up in her chair.

"Hun, can I talk to you for like...two minutes, maybe?" She asked. Lucas obliged and joined her at a fair distance away from the table.

" _Why is he here?_ " She whispered, jerking her thumb behind her.

"I told you I'd help him, and here we are! He wants to be with you guys again." Lucas insisted.

"I didn't think you'd actually do it! We've been trying to change him for years, and we've had no luck whatsoever, and suddenly you can do it in a few days?"

"Are you sure you've been trying?"

"What do you mean?"

"You heard me. Because I think that if you really were trying, he would've changed a long time ago."

Paula squinted at him, obviously searching for an answer she didn't have. Lucas stared intently back at her, trying to get his point across. Without anything but a fed up sigh, Paula motioned that they go back to the table.

"Look, I don't have to sit here, I-" Ness was interrupted.

"Yes you do! And we are all going to allow it, like the good and accepting people we are,  _right, guys?_ " Lucas muttered through grit teeth. He got nothing but unamused stares back. Ness, who was standing behind him, crossed his arms.

"Oh, come on! You've got to be…! I mean…" Ness lowered his arms upon noticing the glare of Lucas, reminding him to stay in the green zone. He dropped his gaze to the floor and put his hands in his pockets. He counted to ten. He took a breath.

"...I mean...dammit...listen, I know I sound like an idiot right now, because...well, I am one. I've been one for the past few years now. All I can say is...you know. Sorry." Ness turned away bashfully.

"What?" Was the synchronized reply.

"Sorry! For...you know, everything...? For everything I called you, for everything I said about you, for everything I did to you…all that jazz! I know, I'm an asshole! But I never wanted to be one! Well, I did, but, now, I...Look, I'm not asking you to forgive me, because I don't deserve it! But I just don't wanna be... alone anymore." Ness admitted. Kumatora raised an eyebrow.

"You have friends." She reminded.

"They aren't my friends, they're just followers! I want what we had! Back in elementary! When we were close. I don't care how pathetic I sound, okay? This never would've happened if I had just talked to you that day in fifth grade, instead of..."

"Instead of pushing me." Ninten said.

"Y-yeah...that. So do you think we can try to patch things up a bit?" Ness offered, biting his lip. Lucas was going to add to his statement, but realized that this was something Ness had to do himself. He stood quietly and waited for an answer. But no one spoke up. Lucas realized that he had severely overestimated his friends. They didn't seem like the kind of people to just ignore the issue right in front of them.

Everyone was either looking down at the floor or in some other direction, most likely hoping Ness would just leave. For a moment, he almost did, but Lucas grabbed his arm and kept him there. He was growing increasingly frustrated. He was about to call them out, but Ness seemed to be a step ahead of him.

"For god's sake, you guys! I thought _I_ was immature! You don't have to accept, I understand! But...but…" Ness looked down, not entirely sure what to say. He softened the tone of his voice, to try and not seem aggressive, "If you're gonna tell me to fuck off, at...at least actually say it?"

That caught the attention of Ninten. He glanced up, with a set expression, and managed to make brief eye contact with Ness, who was unable to read his face. Ninten seemed to be dealing with incredibly conflicted emotions. Lucas, who was slightly more hopeful now, watched with interest. The two had never gotten along, even when they were friends, according to Ninten.

"Ness, um…" Ninten muttered awkwardly. He stood up and approached him, with downcast eyes. He found the courage to look him in the eyes with a fixed gaze. He sighed. "You do know that...everything you've done to us, it's...kinda hard to patch."

"I know, I know, I understand…!" Ness put a hand to his face stressfully.

"But then again, there's no nicer way to put it...we never tried to help. All of this could've been prevented if we'd just told someone, or…" Ninten trailed off and looked away with guilt. He tried to changed the subject. "Did you...mean everything you just said?"

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't. Everything I said...it's 100% commitment." Ness promised, "I know you guys don't need me. Especially you, Ninten. But I need you. All of you. I can control myself when I get a violent urge, I can learn to think before I talk, I can change."

"...But?" Ninten predicted.

"...But...I can't do it on my own." Ness finished.

Lucas held his breath, waiting for Ninten's response.

"Yeah…I get it..." Ninten choked, sniffling, "God dammit, I'm sorry…!" He stepped forward and buried his face into Ness' shoulder and rested a hand on his arm, in a somewhat reluctant, awkward hug. Ness blinked, shocked, but put an uncertain arm around Ninten.

"Um...yeah, me too…" He stammered, "I missed you." He said tentatively.

"I missed you too," Ninten replied, "...Ultraviolet."

That's when Ness broke. He wrapped his arms tightly around Ninten and grit his teeth.

"God...fuck you, you made me cry…" He laughed a bit, "I haven't heard that name in years." He pulled away and lightly punched his newly found friend in the shoulder. Ninten laughed in response, and pulled up a chair to the table. Ness hesitated, as if asking for permission, but eventually found the courage to join the group. There was a bit of a long silence.

"Ugh...fine, I _gueeesss_ you can sit with us, Ultra." Kumatora groaned with playfulness, breaking the quiet. The others burst into laughter and began chatting.

Meanwhile, Lucas sat and listened. They all spoke to Ness as if he had never done anything wrong. He had never been so proud of himself before. He couldn't wait to go home and tell Claus about everything.

He knew it would take time for Ness to learn to control himself. It would take time for the others to get used to him being there. He knew that a passive aggressive tension still hung in the air. But it was progress. And that was all he needed.

He looked at Ness, who looked back at him, and smiled in thanks. Lucas grinned back.

For once, his ex-rival no longer had a dark, hateful look in his eyes, but a hopeful one.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Not even close. He's one of us now."

"I don't believe it!"

Lucas sighed and rolled his eyes, raising an eyebrow at his brother, who had his arms crossed.

"You just need to meet him, okay? The only interaction you've ever had with him was negative. And plus, don't you trust our friends? Don't you trust your boyfriend?" Lucas asked. He knew Claus wasn't mad, like he was that morning, but he was being stubborn as all hell.

"Of course I trust them, and of course I trust Nelson! But...seriously? It took that little time to forgive him?" Claus emphasized, clenching a fist.

"Well, they didn't forgive him, remember that. It's gonna be a while until they do that. But Claus, think about it! This is great, for both Ness and everyone else! He's on his way to becoming a happier person, and the school can be a more positive place! Just...how 'bout you meet him again? Start over? The others can come too!" Lucas proposed. Claus said nothing, staring back with annoyance. Lucas smiled a bit, "Pleeeaaaaassse? I love you, you're my favourite brother. All them seven wonders, well, they can't compare to you-"

"God, fine. And for goodness sake, I'm your only brother." Claus said. "And if you start singing, I'm never talking to you again."

"Yah, mm-hmm, okay. Trust me, you'll like him! I'll just invite...maybe four or five others, okay?"

"Alright," Claus said, beginning to walk to his bedroom. Lucas stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"And Claus?" He said. His brother turned with a slightly annoyed, slightly patient look, "Best behavior, okay? I know he's done...questionable things, but Ness really is a good kid. Well...he's working on it, 'kay?

Claus sighed and nodded with a tired, somewhat forced smile.

"Yah, I gotcha."

* * *

"I'm not even gonna bother knocking."

Lucas and Claus glanced up in time to see Kumatora poking her head in through the door and smiling.

"Bear Tiger!" Lucas immediately shot up and ran to hug her, while Claus took his time getting up to greet everyone.

"Ack...okay,  _okay_ , all done with all the squishy squash. What're you all dressed up for, Cupcake?" Kumatora asked as she entered the apartment. Ninten, Paula, Ana, Tony, Jeff, and lastly, Ness all entered behind her.

"What, I can't look nice for my friends?" Lucas asked, gesturing to the white dress shirt he was wearing. Claus, who was wearing a sweatshirt and torn up jeans, rolled his eyes.

"You wear those god awful uniforms every day, I don't think they need to see you in any more formal wear." He said, before grabbing hold of Ninten and squeezing tight. "Nelsooooonnn!" He sang, lifting him up off the ground.

"Claaaauuuus! Oh god, oh god, put me down…! You're gonna drop me…!" Ninten cried, laughing. "Just a normal hug is fine."

Lucas made his way over to Ness, who looked somewhat overwhelmed and out of place. He waved, giving him a smile.

"Hi, Ultra! This is, uh...this is my house! It's not much, but it's cozy, I guess. Better go claim the couch before you're stuck sitting on the floor." He hinted, grinning.

"Heh…! No, it's fine. I've never really been inside an apartment before." Ness explained while the group migrated to the living area. Paula, Kumatora, and Tony were the ones to grab the couch first, so the rest just made do with the somewhat soft rug.

"Never? Really?" Tony asked, surprised.

"No, not ever. It's kinda cool, though. Just a whole bunch of mini houses stacked onto each other. It sounds fun." Ness said, hugging his knees to his chest.

"Hah, just live in one of these things for a day, I dare you. Our top neighbors are basically constantly high, while our bottom neighbors feel the need to listen to Foo Fighters pretty much every day at 2 in the morning. I mean, good music taste, but, damn." Claus replied, leaning against the coffee table. Ness gave a somewhat awkward laugh in response. He must've felt a little weird talking to Claus in a friendly way. Of course, the last time they met, it didn't end well.

"So! Ness? How's...life treating you?" Lucas said, in an attempt to bring up the subject.

"Um...good." Ness murmured.

' _Wow, thanks, buddy. Big help_.' Lucas thought. "Howwwwss...your sister…?"

"Um…" Ness paused, "...She's good."

"Oh! That's...cool…?"

There was a bit of a long silence, which dragged on for about ten seconds. Then Kumatora rolled her eyes and sighed.

"For god's sake...Ness, we wanna hear about how you've been doing with...you know. Fixing your attitude." She blurted.

"Kuma…" Lucas muttered, "Manners."

"What? We're all thinking it!" Kumatora said. The others exchanged uncertain glances and shrugs.

"Um…" Paula shifted uncomfortably, "...Yeah, not gonna deny it. How've you been, Ness?"

"O...oh! Yes, I guess it would make sense for you all to want to know how I, uh…" Ness fidgeted a bit and coughed nervously, "...Good."

Claus cast an irritated look at his brother, who held up his hand as if to say "Hold on."

"Ness, you know you can...you know, talk to us, right?" Lucas reminded. Ness sighed and looked down at the floor.

"Yeah, I know." He admitted.

"Okay, okay. According to what my brother would tell me, back then, you'd never shut up. And now, you aren't saying more than...like...two words at a time. Come on, let's go outside." Claus said to him, standing up with a grunt, and motioning for Ness to follow, "You got a lighter?"

"Oh, uh...yeah, hold on…" Ness awkwardly tried to stand up while rummaging around in his pockets, "Right here."

"For god's sake, I know what he's doing." Lucas whispered, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, hush! We'll back back in a few, you guys. I thought it'd be a good idea for me and Ness to have a one on one, you know?" Claus explained. He turned to Ness, "Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, mm-hmm." Ness stammered, "Yeah! Coming! I'm...uh...yeah. I'm coming." He followed Claus to the door to the balcony. Once they were both outside, Claus closed the door behind him and took a while to observe the cityscape around them. He then reached into his coat pocket and pulled out what looked like a candle tin. Ness was confused at first, until he finally got the idea.

"You're gonna try to get me high, aren't you? No other reason you'd bring an empty candle box out here." He predicted, raising an eyebrow.

Claus glanced at him with a smirk.

"Clever boy." He held out his hand, "Gimme."

Ness rolled his eyes half playfully, half irritated, and handed over his lighter. He sat down in one of the lawn chairs and let himself stare up at the sky. The blaring of car horns down below and constant flashing lights actually calmed him a bit. He'd been anxious about this meetup ever since the other day, but he was thankful that Claus was having an open mind and trying to get to know him.

" _Byyyy...getting me sky high so I'll tell him everything._ " Ness thought. He grinned, amused. " _Eh, why not._ "

"So, uh…" Claus suddenly snapped him out of his trance, "...I don't actually own a bowl, to be honest. My stupid ass broke it the other day, so we're gonna have to make do with this." He said, as he revealed his astounding masterpiece.

"A water bottle?" Ness asked. "For fucks sake, man…" He laughed. Leaning forward and grabbing the makeshift bowl and lighter.

"Yep, made it myself, years of experience." Claus said, "Oh...oops. No, you shouldn't...no, that's not the shotgun, that's...no, no, you're gonna burn yourself. Yah, there you go, good. Does it work?"

He was answered by Ness suddenly bursting into a coughing fit.

"Heh...oh, yeah. It works, alright." He choked.

Ten minutes later with minimal talking and passing the water bottle back and forth, Claus decided to start up a decent conversation.

"Okay, okay. You wanna tell me what's going on with you tonight? All the awkward...well, everything?" He asked, leaning back. Ness sighed and let his head hang to the side, eyes barely open.

"'Kay, well, like...you know how I used to be...like, the worst? Like when I almost killed Lucas?" Ness began.

"Oh yeah, I remember like it was yesterday." Claus replied, a hint of bitterness in his voice.

"Well, you know...sometimes, I just kinda think, like...what if I'm still like that, y'know?" Ness said. Claus perked up a bit, his face softening.

"...Huh. Really." He murmured.

"Yeah. Like, I'm trying to be a good person, yah? And I think I'm doing alright, I guess. But I'm afraid that if I start talking, I might say something I'll regret later. I still get these urges to be all aggressive to people, even to Lucas. So I just don't talk anymore. I don't wanna hurt him even more than I already have." Ness finished, eyebrows knitted. Claus looked at him with a newfound sense of sympathy he hadn't felt before. Ness really was trying, he realized.

"That's...really...kinda cool, man. But I'm gonna give you a little bit of advice I only recently just started to follow, kay?" Claus proposed. Ness looked out to the city, the lights shining in his eyes, then back.

"Yah, okay."

"Two words, man. No glue. The worst thing you can do when you have all these emotions built up inside? It's keeping them inside. Now, I'm not saying that you should put someone in the hospital again, heh. I mean...go to a counselor, a therapist, an anonymous website. Hell, go to one of us. Don't let your insecurities stop you from being yourself, yeah?" Claus suggested, giving a half smile.

Ness drew his bottom lip between his teeth and shrugged, sighing deeply.

"I guess. But...what if I say something? Something wrong? What if everything goes back to the way it was?"

Claus went silent for a moment. He bit his lip and let his head tilt to the side as he struggled to find an answer. "Should I…?" He thought, "...I don't know if I trust him enough." For a few seconds, Claus had a mental debate with himself, "...What the hell, why not." He decided.

"Ness," He said, leaning in close, "I'm gonna tell you something about myself. But it's not just anything, okay? Only a few people know this about me. Lucas, Nelson, and some of our friends. That's it."

"Okay…? But it must be pretty personal, why're you telling me?" Ness asked.

"Because...one way to help someone with their story is sharing yours." Claus said. He rested his left leg over his right and tugged at his pant sleeves. Ness watched with curiosity, but suddenly gasped when the red head's skin came into view.

His entire lower leg, knee to foot, was covered in pink and white markings. Scars. But these weren't tiny lines, they were practically splotches. It was as if he had stuck his leg in a box of knives. He'd seen plenty of sights like this in the media, but it was much more brutal in real life.

Ness covered his mouth and shut his eyes.

"Yah, that's what I usually get from people," Claus admitted, rolling up the sleeve on his other leg. He solemnly ran a hand over the damaged skin. "I'm not gonna explain the whole thing. All I'll say is that one stupid decision led to another, and next thing I know, my legs are broken, bleeding, and unable to move. Basically temporarily paralyzed." Claus explained. Ness looked up at him with eyes filled with terror and pity.

"I...I don't know what to say, to be honest…" He stammered, voice trembling.

"Most people don't. Anyways, back on track. It took four years to learn how to walk again. One year of being in a wheelchair while going to therapy, two years of having to use a crutch and constant training and exercising, and one more year of these weird, ugly braces I wore on my legs. I always hid 'em underneath my pants. Fun fact, I actually just recently got those taken off. In the summer, to be more precise. Ever since then, I've been able to walk, run, jump, all of that; all on my own. Well...maybe not jump. Not high up, at least. But none the less, I can walk again."

"You must be pretty proud of yourself." Ness guessed, crossing his arms.

"Beyond reasoning. But...just like you, I'm not so proud of...well, myself four years ago. I'm not gonna go into detail, but hear me out; all the shit I went through to put me in the hospital in the first place left me in a pretty dark state of mind. And you know what? My nurses, my trainers, my caretakers, and my family...dear god, did I ever treat them like shit." Claus admitted, eyes darkening. Ness' eyes widened.

"Really?"

"Really. I never smiled, I never greeted anyone. Any response I gave was nothing more than a mutter, or a hum of acknowledgement. I was so angry at everything, angry at whatever god is up there for putting me through all this. Just...pissed off with the world. But I just never told anyone. So I only got worse. I turned into that patient no one wants to work with." Claus said.

"Like me." Ness murmured.

"Mm-hmm." Claus nodded, "But then, someone came to me and offered to listen to everything I had to say; take a wild guess who he was." He laughed a bit, "My brother, the sweetheart that he was, sat by me the entire day, listening to be rant on and on about everything I was mad about. Even the slightest little inconveniences. No matter how simple or petty, he was there to listen." He explained with a quiet, sincere voice and a small smile.

"That sounds like Lucas." Ness added, leaning against the balcony wall and staring off at the cityscape. The lights combined with his now blurred, warped vision was calming.

"All he wants is for everyone to be happy." Claus murmured, "He wants you to be happy, Ness. The last thing he would want is for you to stop being yourself. I know you're trying for him, but keeping yourself from talking? That's...well, stupid. Like I said before, don't bottle it up, okay? That'll just make everything worse. Take it from me." He finished.

Ness gave him a half smile and leaned back.

"That sounds a lot better than shutting up." He said. They both laughed. Claus rested his face in his hand.

"You know, I'm glad I finally got to meet you. You really are like how Lucas describes you." He said.

"What do you mean?" Ness asked, suddenly interested.

"Well, for starters, he talks about you pretty much all the time. Don't tell him I said that, hah. Like, he talks about, you know, everyone. But he talks about you the most." Claus said, "He's...really proud of you, you know."

"Yeah?" Ness asked, surprised, "...Heh...wow." He breathed. He caught Claus staring at him, a smug grin on his face and an eyebrow raised. Ness coughed awkwardly and continued, "...Um...he, uh...talks about you a lot, too. At school, I mean. All he has are good things to say."

"That Lucas. He really is amazing, isn't he?" Claus said, glancing to the door. In the brief silence, they could hear muffled talking from inside, one of the voice's clearly decipherable as Lucas'. He smiled.

Ness suddenly snapped his fingers, having an idea.

"That's it!" He said with accomplishment in his voice.

"What?" Asked Claus.

"Listen, your brother taught me something. When you wanna be friends with someone, the best way to start is to find something you have in common. Typical cereal box lesson, you know? But it worked for me and him. And at least we know that you and I have something." Ness explained. Claus took a moment, before he understood. He grinned.

"It's Lucas, isn't it? We both love him." Claus said.

"Yeah! But I wouldn't say 'love' for me, that's a little too far. No homo." Ness clarified, raising his hands.

"Fine, we both love him, but as a friend."

"That works."

"Wuss. You wanna go inside?"

"Yeah."

The two of them got up, and shared quick eye contact. They stopped, and Claus held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Ness. Glad I could meet the new you." He said.

Ness said nothing, but smirked at him and shook his hand.

They entered the apartment and were instantly greeted with warm air. Ness shrugged off his jacket and brushed his hair out of his face. He savoured every moment of warmth he could get.

"Hey, we were just talking about you! How was it?" Lucas asked. Ness and Claus glanced at each other, smiled, and nodded.

"Your friend is tolerable." Claus said, jokingly.

"I can stand your brother if I block him out." Ness added. They both laughed. The others stared at them with confusion and nervous laughter, but eventually trickled back into whatever previous conversation they were having.

Lucas let the others talk while he turned to Ness, who looked a lot more comfortable now.

"Did everything go okay?" He asked, half hopeful, half concerned.

"Yeah." Ness replied. He paused for a moment, before smirking, "So, you talk about me all the time, huh?" He whispered.

"Wha…! I do  _not_! Claus, what did you tell him?" Lucas cried, shoving his brother. Claus shoved back.

"I only told him what was truuuuue!" Claus teased.

Everyone began to playfully tease Lucas, who continued to stubbornly defend himself. Ness didn't join in, he simply sat and watched everyone. He found himself staring at his friend, and a mellow smile crossed his face. He never really noticed it before, but Lucas' face had a few...admirable features. He wasn't all that bad looking, he realized.

Ness froze, and instantly turned the other direction. Why was he thinking that? That wasn't something he should've been thinking about.

" _Ohhhhh no…_ " He thought, "... _No, no, no, **no**. Ness, stop it. Don't think about that. Don't_."

He managed to push the thought from his head, and instead decided to focus on how good he felt. He'd finally started to get on track with Claus.

" _Thank goodness_." He thought.


	9. Plenty of Surprises

It was a week after the gathering at the twins' apartment, and Ninten was beginning to lose his mind.

"Aww, come _on_ , Kuma! You're always talking about how you wanna move out of your place!"

"Forget it, Ninten!" Kumatora laughed, leaning back in her seat, "I'm not moving in with you. My dads need more hands in the drag bar." She said. Ninten groaned, and turned to Paula.

"Reconsider it, Paula?" He begged, stretching out his arm across the table to try and give her the application forms. Paula brushed a bouncy lock of hair out of her face and smiled sympathetically at him.

"Ninten, you know that I would love to be your roommate, it's just...you know how much I love my family's preschool. I can't just leave that behind! You understand, yeah?" She said. Ninten sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I know." He perked up, realizing he hadn't asked someone yet, "Jeff!"

"No." Was the simple reply from his blond friend, who was currently nose deep in a chemistry textbook. He really did seem to be the only student who actually did work on spare class periods. Ninten pouted at him.

"Maybe you could ask Lucas?" The suggestion came from Ana, who was busy making a gimp bracelet. Ninten shrugged.

"Yeah, if he ever gets here. Where is he? He's never late for a spare." He wondered, his attention being pulled away from his roommate dilemma.

"He's not answering his phone either. I texted Ness earlier, and he told me Luc isn't answering him either." Ana replied. She put down her craft for a moment and checked her smartphone again; no notifications.

"Same with Claus." Confirmed Ninten.

"Dammit, where is he?" Muttered Kumatora.

The sudden squeak of sneakers skidding against the floor alerted the gang, who all looked up in time to see Lucas nearly crashing into the table, a cluster of schoolwork papers flying from his hands.

"Oooookay! Speak of the devil!" Kumatora cried, grabbing her coffee mug from the table to keep it from spilling, "The hell, Cupcake? You trying to kill us or something?"

Lucas took a moment to catch his breath and quickly fixed up his hair. As he bent down to retrieve his papers, he began to speak in a breathless pant.

"Sorry I'm...late...hah..." He gasped, "...You...wouldn't believe...what just happened...to me..." He said with an excited grin pasted on his face.

"Uh oh, Cupcake's got the honeyglows!" Paula teased, mentioning the obvious blush on Lucas' face.

"God forbid that..." Ninten gasped dramatically, "...someone has swept our Lucas off his feet?" He fell back, his hand against his forehead. Ana caught him from behind and played along, fanning him with her hand.

"That's exactly what happened! Here...!" Lucas grabbed his phone and struggled to keep it in his grip for a moment, before showing the others what was on the screen.

" _Yoooouuu_...got an online dating app!" Ana cried, obviously a little disappointed but trying to hide it. Lucas obviously didn't know that an app wasn't the best way to start a relationship.

"Mmhmm...and look at what happened! Lookit!" Lucas pointed, and the others leaned in closer. Even Jeff had put down his homework to inspect more.

"And...you matched with someone!" Paula said with the same forced enthusiasm as Ana. Lucas obviously was getting a little too excited.

"Yah! His name is Ryan! I've been talking to him  _all morning_ , you guys. That's why I haven't been answering, heh...sorry about that, by the way. But anyways! All morning, nonstop texting. And then, at precisely 11:03 AM, he asked me out! Like, for real! On a  _date_! A real one!" Lucas clutched his phone tightly to his chest, squeezed his eyes shut, and let out a muffled squeal. While he celebrated to himself, the others exchanged troubled glances, but Ninten finally settled it when he spoke.

"Luc, that's awesome!" He said, putting a hand on his friend's shoulder. He glanced at the others, and motioned for them to do the same.

"Uh, yah! Incredible, I'm so happy for you!" Ana said, giving a thumbs up. The others all mumbled pretty much the same thing.

"Thanks...oh goodness, I can't stop smiling! Is that normal? Like, think about it! Out of all the boys in this city, he chose me!  _Me_!" He slumped back in his chair and let his head hang back, and he stared up at the ceiling. The others chose not to alert him of the fact that using a different application might have been better. They'd never seen Lucas so happy before, and they didn't want to ruin it. But Paula didn't want him to blindly go into this, so she spoke up.

"Lucas, that really is amazing, and we're very happy for you," She began, "But we'd suggest using a different app next time, yeah? Online dating apps have a reputation for some bad stuff. Robbings, date drugging, ditching..." She trailed off.

"Ditching?" Lucas asked, confused.

"It's when someone builds up your trust and asks you out, but never shows up. It's kind of like a prank call, but a lot meaner. We aren't saying we don't want you to find someone; trust me, we really do! But if you ask anyone at this table, we can guarantee that the app your using isn't the best place to start, 'kay? We've all had bad experiences with it." Ninten explained. Kumatora rose her hand.

"A guy pulled a knife on me once 'cuz I didn't answer my phone after one date." She announced.

"...Oh, my..." Lucas murmured. His smile turned neutral, and he gazed down at his phone.

"Hey, hey, don't be upset, okay? I bet you this guy is wonderful. There are more good people on the site than there are bad ones." Ana assured him. Lucas nodded and smiled again.

"Maybe you guys'll hit it off really well! And you'll start a long term relationship and eventually get engaged and move in together and...oh, speaking of that!" Ninten interrupted himself, "Lucas! My roommate bailed on me, so how'd you like to sign your name right here and move in with me, yeah?" He pushed the bundle of application forms across the table to his friend, who looked up at him, stunned.

"O-oh! I really would love to, but...Ninten, you seem to have forgotten that I'm not eighteen yet, that's in a few months. Me and Claus shouldn't even be living on our own, technically. We're only getting away with it because we're technically in the care of a family friend." Lucas reminded.

"Oh, come on. Age is just a number! Whatever, I'll ask...I don't know, Travis." Ninten threw his hands into the air, giving up. However, he had reminded Lucas of something important.

"Shit!" Lucas spat, hitting himself upside the head, "I totally forgot about Travis! How did that go the other day?" He asked Paula.

The previous day, Paula had convinced Ness to come with her and see Travis at the place where he worked in an attempt to get him to make amends. Lucas knew that the brunette was very,  _very_  passive and had a habit of being a bit of a doormat.

"Actually, it went better than I thought. Travis obviously said that everything was okay and that all was forgiven, duh. Ness wasn't satisfied though, so he hasn't come to school this week because he's working on getting Travis back into school." Paula explained. Lucas smiled in satisfaction.

"He's doing so well. He's turning into a really nice kid, yeah?" He suggested, getting nods and murmurs of agreement from the others, "But I'm a little concerned; I don't think Travis should be going back to that school. I mean, I have nothing against public schools, but..."

"That one's pretty shitty." Kumatora blurted.

Suddenly, Paula's phone buzzed. She checked it, and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Huh...it's Ness." She said, "' _Get ready, I'm gonna be there in a moment_.  _You are not going to believe what I did!_ '" She recited.

"Is that a bad statement or a good one?" Asked Ana.

"Well, he added three wink emoticons after, so I guess it's g-"

" _Guys!_ "

The doors to the cafeteria flew open, and in the same fashion as Lucas minutes before, their dearest Ness, of course, nearly crashed into the table. This time, Kumatora wasn't able to save her coffee cup, which tipped over.

"Aw...shit. Well, god hates me." She sighed, defeated, mopping up the spilled liquid with her sweater sleeve.

"S...sorry, Bear Tiger, I'll buy you another one..." Ness said, looking up at his friends with an excited expression, "So you guys know Travis, right? And how I like...totally ruined his life by getting him to drop out of school?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, that absolute laugh of a time...what's with the smile?" Ninten asked sarcastically.

"Well, to get back in the school, he had to take a series of tests to see what classes he'd be placed in. You get to choose between beginner and advanced, right? Well, he took the advanced, and he aced it! Straight up, 100%! And not only that, he found  _mistakes_  in some test questions, corrected them, then got them right!" Ness explained. "Not a single mistake on any test, all five of them."

"Wow! Goodness, I didn't know he was that smart! That's, like, Wyman Prep worthy." Ana marveled, leaning forward on her elbows.

"Exactly." Ness said, "My mom offered him a spot." He revealed.

"Travis is joining WPHS?! That's incredible, I'm so excited to meet him!" Lucas exclaimed, putting his hands on the side of his face. The group continued to chat for a while, all quite excited for the new student that would be joining them. Meanwhile, Lucas turned to the noirette beside him and smirked.

"You helped, didn't you?" He murmured.

"What?" Ness asked, confused.

"Your mom didn't offer him a spot on her own; you referred him,  _didn't you_?"

"...Uh...yeah." Ness admitted, "But he really did do as fantastic as I said on his entry exams for his old school, so I got him hooked up with entry tests for ours. And just like the last time, he rocked it. He never dropped out of his old school because he failed his classes, he was actually super smart. He dropped out 'cus I-" Ness paused, bit his lip, and turned away, still guilty.

"Don't beat yourself up, okay? You may have pushed him out of school, but now you're getting him back into it!" Lucas assured. Ness shrugged and grinned a bit.

"I guess."

"Hey, you're still upset. How about you and I hang after school, yeah? Take a walk or something? Catch up on things? You haven't been to school in a long time." Lucas suggested. Ness thought for a moment, then nodded.

"Yah, okay. I'll meet you in the courtyard."

* * *

"And so it's three in the morning, this girl is trying to slap me in the face, I'm still wearing her mom's jean jacket, and the police are right outside my house."

Ness was in the middle of explaining a very complex story. Lucas, who was walking next to him, was listening intently. The two were casually wandering around the school courtyard. The sky had faded to a pale orange, and the air had grown quiet. They were both a little dazed and seeing double, because Ness had brought a water bottle with him that wasn't filled with water, exactly.

"Okay, and what happened next?" Lucas asked, his words slurring a bit. He wasn't even sure if he knew exactly what his friend was talking about.

"No idea! Next thing I know, I wake up in the forest and my phone's missing. Man, what a wild ride that was." Ness sighed and stretched his arms above his head. "Oookay, I'm tired. I'm sittin'." He sat down against a tree and ran a hand through his hair. Lucas shrugged and sat down next to him. It was quiet for a few moments. Lucas grinned a bit and glanced over at his friend. Ness noticed this, and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it?" He asked.

"Just...thinkin'." Lucas replied, smugly, "That was a really cool thing you did."

"What, with Travis? That was nothing." Ness dismissed.

"No, really!" Lucas insisted. He reached over and tugged at a lock of Ness' hair. "Sweet boy."

" _Stop iiiit..._ " Ness playfully swatted his hand away and grabbed his wrist, twisting his arm behind his back.

"No! No, no, no, no! I'm sorry! Hah...! Uncle!  _Uncle!_ " Lucas contorted his arm to try a break free. Ness let him go, laughing.

"Heh...sorry."

"It's cool." Lucas said. There was another period of silence, so he tried to start up another conversation, "So...you doing anything this weekend?"

"Naahh...everyone's busy, so I'm probably just gonna spend some time with my sister." Ness answered.

"Wait, don't you have other friends? Those guys from the college?"

"Not really. I don't hang out with them much anymore. Plus, I've got you guys! I don't need them."

"Whaaat? Ness, c'mon. You don't need to have only one group of friends. You can go get some more people to hang with, you know, some people who're not jerks, maybe get a girlfriend..."

"Whoooa, slow down, there." Said Ness, "I don't think there are any girls who want this." He gestured to himself.

"Come  _ooonnn_. Quit the modesty. You're a child model. That's  _literally_  your job. Dozens of girls would be blessed just to be in your presence." Lucas teased, "Plus, you're smart, and nice, and funny, and cute, and-"

"What?" Ness interrupted.

" _Cool_ , I said cool," Lucas corrected. There was a brief moment of awkward staring, until Lucas threw his hands in the hand and sighed, "Fine, yes, I said cute. Forgive the gay comment, but you're kind of stunning."

Ness seemed surprised at the comment at first, then he smiled. "Aw, thanks..." He replied sheepishly. "Not too shabby looking yourself." He murmured under his breath.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, talking to myself."

"Oh, okay."

"But...um..." Ness cleared his throat and continued, "What about yourself? Is blondie gettin' lucky, or...?"

" _Ness..._ " Lucas muttered, hitting him in the shoulder, "To answer your question, yes. I'm seeing someone."

"Oooh."

"His name is Ryan,"

"Ooooooh."

"He's french,"

" _Oooooooooooh_!"

"But I don't expect us to last long."

"Aww, what?"

"I mean..." Lucas sighed and put a hand to his forehead, "He's nice and all, mind you, we've only ever talked through texting. I'm going out with him next week, though! And I'm excited, it's the first date I've ever gone on. But...ehhh, what if he doesn't like me? And I'll be single forever, and I'll always be lonely, and I'll die having never kissed anyone, or being with anyone, or-"

"Whooooaa, chill! First of all, calm down. Second of all, rewind, back up. What was that?" Ness asked.

"Uh...I'll be single forever." Lucas tried to steer away from what he mistakenly said.

"No, not that. You've never kissed anyone?" Ness asked.

"W-what?! Of course I have!"

"But you just said-"

"No, I didn't!"

" _Lucas_."

"Fine! I'm a liar! I'm a dishonest  _liar_!" Lucas buried his hands in his hair. "Yes, I've never kissed anyone." He admitted, drawing in his lower lip. "I've always been too scared."

"Why?" Asked Ness, hugging his knees to his chest.

"I don't know. I've always wanted to, every teen does. But...I'm just afraid it feels weird, or that I'll choke, or that I'll do something wrong, things amoung the lines of that." Lucas explained, shrugging. "Plus, I've been homeschooled for pretty much my whole life. I never had the chance to."

"Oh." Said Ness, "Well, after plenty of experience, I promise you won't  _choke_."

"Heh...okay." Lucas replied, "Then...what  _does_  it feel like?"

Ness' eyes narrowed, and he smirked.

"Want me to show you?"

" _What?!_ Wow, okay, that was pretty forward!" Lucas cried, his eyes widened and face flushed.  _That_  came batshit out of nowhere. He found himself sobering up a little.

"Yyyeah, I could've been more subtle." Said Ness, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Uh, yah! Plus, you're straight!" Lucas reminded him.

"As a pole." Ness added, breaking into small fits of laughter.

"A fiberglass, heavy duty pole!"

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's just like... _mwah_. Over in seconds. We both forget about it, no one finds out, and you don't have to worry about it anymore." Ness assured. Lucas sheepishly looked at the ground and fidgeted with his hands.

"Yeah?" He murmured.

"Yeah." Ness responded. "You don't...you know,  _have_  to. It's kinda weird, I know. It's just that-"

"Let's do it." Said Lucas. " _Just_  so that I know what it feels like."

"Then we wipe it from our memory and go about our lives as if it never happened." Added Ness.

"No one finds out."

"You won't tell your brother?"

"As long as you don't tell your sister."

"Clever boy. Deal."

They turned to face each other. Lucas took in a deep breath and held it, his hands trembling. Ness noticed this, and grinned.

"Scared?" He murmured.

"No!" Lucas insisted.

"Luc?"

"Yes."

"Just hold still, and..." Ness put his hands on either side of Lucas' face and gently pushed to one side. "Tilt your head just a little bit."

"Ooookay. You sure you're okay with this?"

"Yep."

Lucas smiled and looked at the ground for a bit.

"Sober you would never do this. We're gonna hate ourselves tomorrow morning." He said. Ness snickered to himself.

"That's a future-us problem." He said, his voice almost quiet enough to be a whisper. He slowly began to inch his way forward.

Lucas, unsure of what to do, did the same thing, until he just barely felt lips touch his. Instantly, his face warmed up. He grabbed at the dirt below him to keep himself calm. What was he supposed to do? He wasn't sure whether he was uncomfortable or not. He didn't think so. The combination of his drunken state and the situation at hand was taking it's toll.

" _Well..."_ He thought to himself, " _I'm not hating it."_ His eyes fluttered closed. This was actually kind of nice. Shivers ran through his body when he felt Ness raise a hand to cup the side of his face and gently pull him in closer. They stayed there for a few more moments, before Lucas suddenly panicked.

"Mmrf...!" He pulled away, eyebrows furrowed, "...Um, Ness?" He turned to glare at him.

Ness bit his lip and avoided eye contact. "...Yes?"

"That was your  _tongue_." Lucas muttered. Ness slowly nodded, hunching his shoulders.

"...Yes, it sure was."

"Your  _tongue_  was in my  _mouth_."

"...Oops."

They stared at each other intently for a moment, struggling to hold straight faces. They both failed, however, as they burst into laughter. The took a moment to compose themselves.

"Ohhhhh god...heh...so? Never doing that again?" Ness asked.

"Never. Starting now, we erase this from our minds, yeah?" Replied Lucas.

"We never mention it, not even to each other. Deal?" Ness held out his hand, and Lucas shook it, nodding. He suddenly looked as if he was going to be sick, clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Oh my god." He muttered, clutching his chest.

"What?" Asked Ness, alarmed.

"I just  _kissed_  you." Lucas shivered and hugged himself.

"Yes, I'm aware."

"On the  _mouth_!"

"Correct."

"You've  _punched me in_ the mouth before."

"Can we not talk about the time I punched you?"

" _My first kiss was with the guy who punched me in the mouth once._ "

"I think you need to go lie down for a while."

* * *

"Alright, so that's pretty much the whole school! I know it seems big, but I learned my way around in my freshman year pretty quickly. Just remember, Travis. If you need anything, you can just come to me."

"Y-yeah, okay! Thanks...Nelson, right?"

"Ehh, call me Ninten. My birth name is fuckin' stupid."

Travis laughed quietly to himself, pulling his scarf over his mouth. The weather was just beginning to warm up, and the snow was melting into multiple puddles and streams, but it was still chilly. He was incredibly terrified. He had decided to wear a part of the female uniform today; the skirt, over the male dress pants. He tightly clung to the article, as if hiding it.

"Why 'Ninten'?" He asked shyly, now feeling comfortable enough to ask questions. Ninten grinned and rolled his eyes. He motioned for Travis to sit on a bench with him.

"Oh boy...this one time in the third grade, I got dared to eat a Nintendo cartridge, next thing I know, I got sent to the hospital. My little sisters were like...two years old at the time, and they couldn't say 'Nintendo' right. Thus, 'Ninten' was born, and they've called me that ever since. I don't think they even know my real name." He shook his head at the memory, "How about you? Is 'Travis' your real name, or is it short for 'Ozlottis' or something?"

"No, no...heh! It's just Travis. Say, speaking of that, does everyone in your friend group have nicknames?" Travis asked.

"Yep! All of us. You've got me, and I just explained my lovely origin story. Then you've got Paula; everyone calls her 'Princess'. It's because she's super prissy and cutesy, and she acts like one of those Disney characters. You've met her, yeah?" Ninten asked, referring to the other day when Paula had gone with Ness to help Travis.

"Yes. She's lovely."

"You got that right. Then, you have Kumatora; boy oh boy, she's the complete opposite. Her name is "Bear Tiger", because she's pretty much a combination of those two animals. She's rough, tough, and doesn't take shit. She still scares the  _crap_  outta me, and I've known her since Kindergarten." Ninten recalled.

"Oh yeah, Kuma! I know her, she's Ionia's daughter." Travis said.

"I forgot, you've gone to The Final Needle like...two thousand times! Super cool drag club, you and I should go together sometime. You could help me make a persona." Ninten suggested. Travis smiled and shrugged.

"I'd love to." He murmured.

"Awesome! Anyways, back on track. You've got Ana, her name is 'Pigtails'. Take a wild guess on why she's called that. She's kind of like Paula, but a lot quieter. It may seem like she doesn't like you; she does. She doesn't have the ability to dislike someone. She's just really shy. And basically 6 years old." Ninten continued.

Travis nodded in acknowledgment, very focused on his new friend.

"Then we have Jeff and Tony...god, they're like bread and butter. They  _swear_  they aren't an item, but none of us believe them. Jeff is the quietest of all of us. He's a little spacey, and really observant. He's named 'Coconut', because his hair is so bowl-shaped, you could eat cereal out of it. And Tony? He's a sweetie. He's got these little freckles that are just the cutest thing, and they look like little cinnamon sprinkles, so we call him 'Cinnamon'."

"Cinnamon and Coconut...interesting flavour combination."

"At least one of 'em isn't named 'Pineapple'." Ninten laughed to himself for a moment, proud of his supposedly smart remark, then continued, "Then, you've got good old Lucas."

Travis' eyes lit up, and he instantly looked excited.

"Yeah?" He urged. "I've heard a lot about him."

"Well, his name is 'Cupcake'. At first, we named him that because he has this really weird hairstyle that looks like the little swirly icing things on cupcakes. But then, we just connected it to how overly sweet he is." Ninten explained.

"I've heard he's an angel! He sounds like the kind of person who's overly sweet..." Travis said, admiringly.

"I take it you look up to him a lot. He made a lot of people's lives better." Ninten said, getting a nod of agreement.

"So...what about Ness?" Travis asked. Ninten was shocked; he had purposefully skipped him.

"Oh! I thought...maybe you didn't want to talk about him." He admitted.

"But I do! I've heard that he's a lot better now; much more good natured. When I met him the other week, he seemed really nice! A little awkward, but nice!" Travis explained.

"Oh. Well, uh..." Ninten paused, "...His name is 'Ultraviolet'. It's because he's got these weird eyes that are really dark blue, but when they catch the light, they take on a really pretty violet colour." He snickered, "For a while, we called him 'Ultra-violent'. We obviously don't do that anymore."

"Yah, probably not the best thing to call him." Travis agreed. "Well, I can't wait to meet everyone, especially Lucas." The peaked Ninten's interest.

"Actually..." He looked back towards the school, "He's in an early rehearsal for our school play, and it should be done soon. You wanna go see if we can wait for him?" Ninten asked, standing up. He had been excused for the rehearsal that day to make room for showing Travis around.

"Sure! Yeah! Let's go!" Travis instantly replied, quickly shooting up to join Ninten, and they began to walk to the school. Once inside, they almost immediately bumped into Ana, who was wearing 1800s clothing; her costume.

"Oh!" She cried, startled, "Ninten, hi. You must be..." She glanced at Travis, trailing off.

"Travis."

"Ah, right! Really nice to meet you, welcome to WPHS!" She said, shaking his hand.

"Hey, Pigtails, do you know where Lucas is? Travis wants to go confess his undying love." Ninten said. Travis repeatedly swatted at his shoulder, pouting. Ana laughed and jerked her thumb behind her.

"He's over there. Ninten, you'd better come to the next rehearsal, he can't be romantically clinging onto empty air for long." She teased, turning and walking back to the studio. Travis turned to Ninten.

"Romantically?" He asked.

"Oh; you've seen Les Mis, right? He plays the girl. You know, Cosette. I play the guy who falls in love with her...him...whatever." Ninten explained. He stood on his tiptoes to try and spot the blond, finally finding him. "Speak of the devil...there's Cupcake!" He cupped his hands around his mouth, " _Lucas!_ Heeeyyyy! C'mere!"

Lucas turned, and his face instantly lit up once he saw the two of them. He weaved his way through people before finally reaching them. Travis, overwhelmed, threw out his hand by instinct.

" _I'm Travis_!" He blurted, voice frantic. Lucas shook his hand and smiled.

"Hi! I've heard a lot about you, I'm super happy you're attending WPHS. I hope you...well, have a better start here than I did" He laughed a bit. Travis noticed that the person before him had glittery makeup smudged all around his eyelids. His heart warmed up; this would be a safe place for someone like him.

"I'm sure I will! Because you're...you know, here...and...uh...I..." Travis' mouth ran dry. Ninten noticed this and took over.

"He's really happy to see you." He translated. Lucas nodded.

"Well, I'm gonna go wash off this makeup; then we can talk some more!" He said, turning and sending a quick wave. Travis watched him go, awestruck. Ninten noticed that his hands were gently letting go of his skirt, and he was letting it flow freely.

" _Lucas works his magic again_." He mentally smiled. "Come on," He said out loud, "Let's go find your locker."

"'Kay." Travis said quietly, tagging along. Ninten was pleased to see a mellow smile on the brunet's face.

" _You're gonna be safe here, kid._ " He thought.

* * *

"Brother dearest! I have brought you Starbucks!"

Lucas glanced up from his science textbook at his brother, who had appeared in the doorway and dropped his jacket off to the side.

"Yaaaay! Is it my usual?" He asked as Claus handed him the coffee.

"Venti, non-fat iced vanilla latte with two caramel shots. As if I could forget this absolute pain of an order. Sometimes, less is more." He teased, pinching Lucas' arm.

" _Sometimes less is more._ " Lucas mocked in a slurred voice, "Yeah, yeah. No way, more is more." Claus rolled his eyes and sat down next to him.

"So," The red head began, "How'd it go? How's Travis doing?"

"Surprisingly well! Way better than I did on my first day." Lucas explained, "What a brave kid. He showed up wearing a skirt, proud as can be. I already love him."

"Good for him, good for him. Was there any tension between him and Ness? There must've been a whole lot of passive aggressive stuff going on."

"Actually, no. They didn't seem to be at each other's throats at all. I think Travis forgave him for everything already. He's really grateful."

"Wow. Travis is even more forgiving than you."

"Don't start."

"Alright, alright." Claus said, "Still, he must be terrified. New school and all; and a  _prep_. Much different from a public school."

"He's worried he'll get lost." Lucas recalled.

"Makes sense! That place is fuckin' huge! Imagine if I went there." Claus joked, looking down to respond to a text on his phone. However, he noticed that Lucas had said nothing. He glanced back up, concerned. "Lucas?"

"Imagine..." Her brother murmured. His eyes suddenly flashed and a large smile crossed his face. His ever so famous ' _I have an idea_ ' face, "Yeah! Imagine if you  _did_  go there!"

Claus looked at him, confused. Then, he realized exactly what his brother was thinking, and his heart stopped.

"Lucas, if you're gonna suggest what I think you're gonna suggest..."

"How do you know what I'm thinking, huh?"

" _I am not going to school_!"

Lucas groaned, "Why not?! It's perfect! You don't have to work at that coffee shop anymore, you can get your diploma, and go on to do what you wanna do!"

"No."

"Why not? Put those culinary skills to good use, boy!" Lucas grabbed his brother's hands, "These hands can create fantastic things!"

"Am I even good enough for a full on culinary program?" Asked Claus, turning away.

"Of course! Claus, every time to make something, I feel like Bobby Flay broke into my home and possessed my twin. Get into this school and show 'em what you're made of!" Lucas encouraged.

"But what if I'm not smart enough? It's a prep." Claus argued, brushing back his hair stressfully.

"Claus, we were home schooled by our  _mom_. How many academic contests did she win? Like...fourty? If I can make it in, you can." Lucas assured, his voice softening, "Claus, back when we were kids, you were so passionate about cooking. I remember getting  _so_  annoyed with you because all you wanted to watch was the Food channel. I know you haven't really be that interested in it recently, but..." He trailed off.

Claus sighed. His twin was right; he couldn't imagine doing anything other than preparing some kind of edible thing. Being a barista was the closest thing he could get to that. When he was younger, there wasn't a day his parents would make dinner alone; little Claus was  _always_  in the kitchen, insisting that he did  _everything_.

He mentally debated with himself. He wasn't sure he was ready for something like this. Having to keep up with constant deadlines and organization. Having to navigate his way through a gigantic building through crowds of hundreds of kids, some who were bigger, taller, and stronger than him. It was why he didn't apply for the school with Lucas when their father had died.

But then again; he knew he couldn't stay a barista forever. The time would come where Lucas would be off somewhere halfway across the country on some tour, or to attend some class, and Claus would be on his own, and his minimum wage job wouldn't suffice for long. But with a diploma, he could go to university, and get a degree, and maybe even a  _Master's_  in culinary arts. Maybe he could open his own place, build his own menu, serve his own customers...and design his own uniforms, which would definitely not be green aprons.

He looked down at his hands. He had to piece together his life. Someday, he was going to have to be there for himself, and when that time came, he'd be ready.

"Pull up the website." He said.

* * *

"Lucas! My man!" Kumatora snapped her fingers, snapping Lucas out of his thoughts. He jumped and glanced up at her. She sneered, "You've just been sitting and smiling to yourself for a solid twenty minutes and you're checking your phone every two seconds, what's up?"

Kumatora, Ninten, and Lucas all sat in a circle outside in the school's courtyard, waiting for Paula. For the first time in a few months, all the know was gone and the sun was able to shine without clouds blocking it. Though it was still jacket weather, it felt nice to have actual warmth for once. The three of them took advantage of this and sat outside during their spare period.

"Hm?" Lucas hummed, "Oh, nothing."

"No, don't start with that. Just by looking at your face, I can tell you are hiding..." Ninten leaned in close and observed Lucas, eyes narrowed, "Family stuff. What are you not telling us?"

" _What?!_ " Lucas cried, "What are you, a psychic?" He didn't want to admit that his friend was absolutely right.

"No!  _But that would be pretty cool._ " Ninten murmured, "No, I am not a psychic. But I  _am_  an actor, thus, I know every single human emotion and how it shows. Let's see..." He observed some more, "Your face? Flushing. That means you're embarrassed. Your hands are all balled up, meaning you're tense or nervous. You're blinking a lot and looking down, meaning you're hiding something, and, big one, you're smiling constantly. Let me guess; you want to tell us something, but you can't?"

Lucas stared on at his friend, wide eyed and mouth open. How on Earth did he...?

"You have got to be kidding me..." He muttered, "Fine I'll admit this; I've got exciting news, but I can't tell you yet. I pinky promised not to tell."

"God dammit, not a pinky promise...fine, fine, I won't bug you about it." Ninten assured.

Suddenly, footsteps in the grass alerted them that Paula was approaching. As she sat down, the other three noticed that stains from markers covered his fingers and she had a trace of glitter on her uniform. Kumatora motioned to this.

"Alright, Princess, what's with the art class costume?" She asked.

"Oh, all this? Me and the others in student council were making posters." Paula answered.

"Oh god, let me guess." Kumatora predicted.

"Prom is coming up-"

Kumatora and Ninten rolled their eyes and groaned, while Lucas' eyes lit up instantly. Paula crossed her arms, a dramatic offended look on her face.

"Come on, you guys! Prom is the-"

"Best part of every teenager's life?" Kumatora finished.

"I've heard that! It's always been my dream to go to prom, you know!" Lucas excitedly said, grabbing Paula's hands and squeezed them. They both shared a happy squeal. Ninten smirked and shook his head.

"God, you two are so sugary. The Senior Prom is the most...sentimental, honeyed, syrupy thing high school has to offer. Blegh." He stuck out his tongue.

"Are you just upset because no one's ever asked you to go?" Paula guessed, smugly.

"N-no! I just don't want to."

"I don't understand you guys! That one day of the year where you can look your absolute best...everyone looks so nice...everything is perfect..." Lucas breathed dreamily.

"Oh my god, I think I'm gonna  _puke_." Kumatora gagged, "You guys go ahead and go. Go with  _each other_ , how 'bout it?" She playfully pushed the two of them into each other.

"Kuma, stoooopp..." Lucas snickered, "How about it, Paula? You and me." He played along.

"Awww, you're sweet. You know that I'd always say yes, but...someone already asked me." Paula sheepishly admitted.

"Oooo _ **oooo**_ oooh!" Ninten teased, "Is the the famous  _Fuel_  we've been hearing about? A hot college boy?"

"Maybe! It might be!" Paula hinted, rolling her shoulders suggestively. "How about you, Lucas? You planning on being a single pringle or a lucky ruffle?" She asked, nudging her friend.

"Um..." He murmured, "Well, no. I'm not sure yet." Suddenly, his interest detached as his phone buzzed. His face instantly lit up, and he got onto his feet.

"What is it?" Kumatora asked, standing up as well.

"Come with me!" Lucas turned and began jogging. The others, unsure of what else to do, decided to follow him.

He turned a corner leading to the main driveway of the school, and the others were shocked to see, of all people, Claus. Lucas threw his arms around his brother.

"Claus?" Ninten asked, approaching him after Lucas had set him down and taking his hand. "What're you doing here? Is something wrong?"

"Yah, and what's will all the happy-happy-joy?" Kumatora added.

Claus rested his hands on his hips and looked at his friends, not saying anything. Ninten squinted, confused.

"Kay, you're freaking me out. Why are you coming here in the middle of the day, and what's with the outfit? Why're you wearing a WPHS uniform-" He froze, and his eyes widened, " _You're wearing a WPHS uniform_." He realized.

"It seems that I am." Claus looked down at the pale green sweater vest and khakis.

Ninten took a few moments, but suddenly burst into an overjoyed squeal and tackled Claus to the ground, wrapping his arms around his neck and burying his face in his shoulder. The redhead was startled at first, then smiled excitedly and hugged him back.

"No way!  _No way, no way, no way, no frickin' way!_ " Ninten shrieked, sitting up and grabbing Claus' shoulders. "You...?"

"Yep."

"When?!"

"Last week."

"Which program?!"

"Culinary."

" _Perfect!_ "

Ninten clung to him once again, refusing to let go. Before Claus could asked to be allowed to breathe, Ninten pulled away again.

"What classes do you have?! I hope we share the same ones. We have to! If we don't, get a class change, or I'll get a class change! But don't change culinary, that's perfect for you. No wonder you work at a-" Ninten suddenly gasped, "Your job! You don't work at that Starbucks anymore! Aww, that's where we first met..."

"Don't worry, I work there part time, now. Evenings and weekends. As much as I hate that job, I can't let go of that place just yet." Claus said. The two of them stood up and brushed themselves off. They turned to face their other friends, who all stood frozen and shocked.

"So...you're a student?" Paula asked, a smile growing on her face.

"Officially, in the flesh." Claus confirmed.

"Well, why didn't you tell us, you losers?" Kumatora asked, punching Claus in the arm.

"We wanted to keep it a surprise!" Lucas admitted.

"Hah, I knew you were hiding something." Ninten said. He reached over and took Claus', hand, "Well, it's basically my job to escort people around the school on their first day. How about you come with me? I'll tell my next teacher I'm showing around a  _new student_." He grinned.

"You seem a lot more proud of this than I am." Claus rolled his eyes.

"I probably am! Come on, let's see if you can get a locker next to mine."

* * *

Ness had finally reconnected with his old college friends. He took Lucas' advice and expanded his circle of friends, and he realized that his old ones weren't actually half bad. They had decided to meet up at a small restaurant to catch up.

He felt a familiar rush of excitement that he always got when he saw his old friends as he approached the table they sat at. He hated to admit it, but he always felt older and...well, cooler when hanging around them.

"Heeeeeyy, there's our boy!" Said one of them, named Fuel. He got up to approach Ness, and swung an arm around his shoulders. Ness was slightly startled by this; he forgot how rough these guys were.

"Fuel, my man...!" He awkwardly replied, walking over to sit down next to him. Joining them were two others; Floyd and Teddy. "How're you guys?"

"Pretty good, you know, managing." Teddy explained, reaching over for a fist bump. Floyd smiled.

"How's Travis doing?"

"Oh, um..." Ness stammered, "I haven't really been around him that much yet. But I guess he's been doing good!"

"Mmhmm...you know, that's awesome how you helped him out like that. He must be insanely grateful." Floyd suggested, resting his chin in his hands.

"Yeah, a little  _too_  grateful. After what I said to him...geez." Ness rubbed the back of his neck shamefully. "I can't believe he isn't out for my blood."

"Kid, I can't  _believe_  everyone isn't out for your blood." Fuel said.

"Yah, thanks, Fuel." Ness muttered. He sighed and leaned back. "So. What's new with you all?"

The four of them continued to chat, and Ness was happy to feel the nostalgia of the old days. As hard as he tried to block out the past, he couldn't help but love the feeling of talking to his old, troublemaking friends.

At one point, Floyd's eyes suddenly went wide and he motioned for the others to be quiet.

"What?" Ness asked, his voice low.

" _Look behind you, but don't make it obvious._ " Floyd whispered through his teeth. Ness, confused, pretended to swat at a fly and managed to catch a glance behind him. He barely saw a flash of blond hair.

"Oh shit, is that...?" He murmured, jerking his thumb behind him.

"Isn't that Lucas? That's totally Lucas! No one in their right mind styles their hair like that!" Floyd exclaimed.

"Why is he here? Is he with anyone?" Ness panicked, pulling his hood over his head. He looked back behind him slightly. That was definitely Lucas back there. He sat there, content, occasionally glancing at his phone.

"Nnnnno, not that I can see. He's just...sitting there, alone. Maybe he's with a friend, and they're in the bathroom or something?" Floyd guessed, craning his neck to get a better look. Fuel and Teddy looked at each other, decided to just silently watch on. Ness suddenly slapped a hand to his forehead and groaned.

"Ah, shit! That's right!" He remembered, "He told me, some guy asked him out...I didn't know it was gonna be  _here_! What if he thinks I'm spying, or trying to sabotage, or-"

"Ness! Chillax! Keep your hood up, just pretend he isn't there!"

"How can I pretend he isn't there when I  _know_  he's there?!"

"Oooh, you guys talking about the blond kid over there? You're saying he got asked out?" Fuel asked. Ness and Floyd both nodded. "He's been sitting there ever since I got here. That's...twenty minutes. No one's been with him."

"Really?" Ness turned back around. Lucas was now looking at his phone, his face slightly concerned. His concern suddenly turned to sadness, and he slowly set his phone back down, and began to put on his jacket. "Why's he doing that? Where's he going?"

"Oh no...dude, he got ditched." Teddy said.

"What? No, that's not..." Ness ran a hand through his hair, "Who does that to someone like  _him_? You don't  _do_  that to someone like him!"

"Hey, man, calm down-"

"I'm going in." Ness got up and undid his hood.

"Hey, no, stop! Where're you going?" Fuel asked.

"Look at him, he's crushed! I can't just let that happen!" Ness insisted. Against the calls from his friends, he made his way over to Lucas' table and pretended to be out of breath, "Lucas!"

"Huh?" Lucas glanced up, and his eyes widened to see his friend standing there, "Wait-"

"Sorry I'm so late! My car broke down, then there was traffic...I tried to call you, but my phone ran out, and...aw, geez. I'm sorry...I didn't keep you waiting for too long, did I?" Ness dramatically asked. Lucas sat there, frozen and completely bewildered. Ness winked at him to get the message across.

"Oooohhhh..." Lucas realized what was happening, and he smiled, "No, I understand! You weren't too late." He replied in a somewhat projected voice to make sure the other patrons in the area heard him. He leaned in close once Ness sat down, "What're you doing here?" He whispered.

"Sorry," Ness whispered back, "I didn't know this was where you were meeting up with that guy. I was over there with my buddies, and, uh...you just looked really upset."

"Well, you saved me, that's for sure. I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed in my life." Lucas admitted. "I got ditched."

"Are you sure, though? Maybe his car really did break down, maybe his phone ran out, or maybe...oh." Ness trailed off when Lucas showed him his phone screen, revealing the ten texts he had sent asking where this person was, with a single "lol" sent back in reply. Ness flinched, "Damn, that's just mean. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation." Assured Lucas.

"Dude, I know I'm not really one to talk, and I'm not the best person to tell you this, but you gotta remember that some people really are just mean. Be careful, okay? I know you're gonna give him a second chance, and I can't talk you out of it, but...I have experience. If you see a red flag, dump the guy. Promise?" Ness asked, clasping his hands together.

"Yah, okay, I promise. Remember, he's not my boyfriend yet. Right now, that's your job." Said Lucas, raising his shoulders playfully.

"As long as the shift ends before eight thirty."

"Let me guess..."

"My little sister made me 'pinky-promise with extra sprinkles and a cherry on top' that I'd watch her favourite movie with her."

"God, she's so cute."

And with that, the two were completely isolated in their own conversation. They talked about anything and everything that came to mind, and listened intently when the other was explaining something. Ness found himself feeling the same way he did the other week, when the sat under a tree on the school campus. The same feeling of comfort. But this time, he was definitely not under the influence. This was genuine.

As both of them were feeling tired, there was a short period of silence. Ness laughed to himself.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Remember the other day when you and I got drunk behind the school?"

"Oh, yah! I remember that. Wish I could remember what happened, heh..."

"Yah, me too. All I remember is that I told some weird story that probably wasn't true."

They both had instinctively begun to pack up whatever they had with them as they casually chatted some more and before they knew it, they were standing outside in the cold night air. Lucas slung his messenger bag over his shoulder and sighed.

"So, uh..." He trailed off. "Thanks. That was really nice, saving me like that."

"Don't worry about it, okay? Listen, I'll admit this. I've been ditched before, and it sucks. But...to be honest, I probably deserved that. But you're...you. This guy's gotta be out of his goddamn mind. If I ever see that  _douchewad_ , I'm gonna...I'm..."

"Ness, hey, calm down. You're getting more mad about this than I am."

"You don't get mad at anything. So I do it for you." Said Ness. He glanced down at his phone, "Hey, I've got half an hour. You want me to walk with you? You live...what, five minutes away?"

"Yeah, sure! I could use the company. This way." He motioned to the right, and began to walk. "So, I've got a question."

"Ooh, absolutely fascinating. What's up?"

"This is gonna sound...really weird. Like...really,  _really_  weird." Lucas rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, and averted his gaze, "Was this like...a date? A real one?"

"Oh,  _that_  kind of weird." Ness murmured, "To answer that, uh...I don't think so? I mean, we're friends. But that's pretty much it."

"...Oh."

"You're upset."

"What? No,  _no_  I am not!"

"Do you  _want_  it to be a date?"

"No! You're not my type anyways."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ness, pretending to be hurt, elbowed his friend in the side playfully. Lucas shoved him back with a bit more force, and was met with an even harder push. The shoving match continued until Ness was eventually rammed into a wall, which happened to be the wall of Lucas' apartment building.

"Ow...! Fine, fine, you win! Look, it's your home. Maybe you should go in before you dislocate my shoulder."

"Yah, okay." Lucas snickered, raising his arms forward, "Hug."

Ness rolled his eyes and obliged, letting his friend wrap his arms around him, while he let his own arms stay at his sides awkwardly.

"No! A real hug." Lucas protested.

"Fine..." Ness gave in and reluctantly hugged him. "No homo, though."

"Oh, for  _god'_ s sake...do you have to say that every time you do something...I don't know, affectionate?"

"Just to be safe."

Lucas punched him in the shoulder and gave him a half smile. "You'll grow out of it. I'd better get inside. I'll see you later?" He asked, digging through his pocket to retrieve his room key.

"Yah! Yah, okay." Ness replied.

"Cool." Lucas began to turn around, but stopped, glancing over his shoulder, "Thanks again. You're a pretty good kiddo."

"Ah, well, don't give me too much credit." Ness dramatically replied, "Heh...bye. I'll see you at school."

Lucas shot a quick wave, then pushed open the door to the building and sighed in relief at the warm air. He made his way down a hall, up an elevator, then got to his floor. He slowly walked down the hall in a mellow daze, smiling and thinking to himself.

" _It felt like a date..._ " He thought.

He reached his room, unlocked the door, and pushed it open with a grunt.

"Claus?" He called, not receiving an answer. Alerted, he rushed inside and scanned the space. To his relief, his brother was sitting on a kitchen chair, blankly staring at the ground.

" _Hhoooooooh boy_." Lucas thought. He spoke, "I, uh...I thought Ninten was coming today?" He reminded. The three of them were planning to spend some time together that night after Lucas got back. Claus perked up, as if he'd just noticed him.

"Oh! Um...no, he isn't." He muttered. Lucas sat down in a chair beside him, fidgeting. He pressed his lips into a line, and furrowed his brow. He knew what was going on, and he knew what he had to ask. Claus knew exactly what he was gonna say, and kept his mouth shut, waiting for him to say it. Lucas rolled his eyes, sighed, and looked at him.

"What did he do?" He recited in a monotone voice. Claus clamped his hands over his mouth and let out a muffled scream of frustration.

"Okay, so...this... _stupid_ piece of _..._ " He began, "...Comes up to my locker, we talk, and it's great! Then, this girl comes up to him, and when I'm standing  _right fucking there_ , he starts  _flirting_  with her! And when she leaves, I ask, 'Hey, can you maybe not do that?', and he's all like, 'Hey, can you maybe chill?'. And I'm like, 'Um, no, can you maybe not flirt with people when I'm dating you?'. And he says, 'Um, it's harmless? Don't worry about it'."

Claus took a few moments to scream again, this time into a pillow Lucas handed him.

"And so we start arguing, and he tells me I'm too 'possessive'! I'm his boyfriend, that's kind of my job! I know that's his whole personality, but I don't want him flirting with other people! So...uh...I haven't really talked to him since this morning." Claus' tone softened as he said the last sentence.

"Well...uh...forgive my use of this word, and I mean it in the nicest way possible. But I kind of agree with him. You  _can_  be a little...eh... _controlling_." Lucas admitted, instantly regretting having said it. Claus raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean by that?"

" _Great going, you just had to speak your mind_." Lucas thought, "Um...well, let's just admit it, Claus, you constantly need to know where I am, who I'm talking to, what I'm doing, and when I'm doing it!"

"Well,  _duh_! I'm your twin, what else am I supposed to do?" Claus asked, standing up and turning away.

"It's fine that you're protective, but sometimes you push it really over the line. I shouldn't be feeling trapped, that's all!" Lucas stood up.

"Trapped? I am not  _trapping_  you, and I am not protective, thank you very much!" Claus turned around and advanced on his brother, who took a few steps back.

"Uh, you kinda are, thank  _you_  very much! The other day, you made me take a picture and text it to you so I could prove that I was at the library and  _not_ at a strip club! What would I even be  _doing_  at one of those?!"

"How was I supposed to know your phone autocorrected the word 'exotic?!'"

"Maybe you should've trusted me!"

"Wha...?! Um...?!" Claus scoffed, " _Excuse_  me?!"

"You're excused!"

"Fine, I guess I'll leave!"

"You live here, genius."

"Well...! Uh..." Claus stammered, looking around, "I am... _so_  going to my bedroom!"

"Well I'm going to  _mine_!" Lucas decided. They both reached the hallway, and had a small scuffle upon figuring out who would go first, before Lucas was pushed back and Claus ran into his bedroom, Lucas following soon after into his own room. He sat down on his bed, arms crossed stubbornly and one leg draped over the other.

"Stupid...doesn't even let me go anywhere...treats me like a kid...yeah, right. Not if I can help it. No more, Mister 'I-want-my-brother-to-suffer.'" He muttered to himself. Without bothering to take off his clothes, he laid down and closed his eyes.

Suddenly, his heart dropped to the floor and he came to a realization.

" _We're fighting..._ " He thought, gripping at his bedsheet,  _"...Aw, man.._." His pride suddenly took over, and he pouted to himself. " _Well, I'm not wrong. He needs to chill_." He decided. " _But I guess I could chill too...no! No, I don't need to chill! Ugh_..."

"Lucas!" Claus called angrily from the other room.

"What!" Lucas snapped back.

"How did your date go?!"

" _It was really great_!"

"Well, good! I'm glad you're being more social! Now  _don't talk to me_!"

"Fine!"

" _Fine!_ "

He definitely wasn't going to get sleep tonight.


	10. Snap

"Claus, geez, the recipe says  _chop_  the carrot, not  _mince_  the poor thing. What's going on with you?"

Claus glanced up from his trance and turned to face his newly found culinary friend, Nana. She carefully took the knife from his hands and set it down on the table so he wouldn't have an incident. Claus sighed and glanced down at the carrot he was supposed to be cutting into semi thick slices, but had instead furiously minced practically into carrot powder.

"Nothing, I'll try again-"

"Claus, come on. You've been in this weird trance or something all day, are you just nervous about school?" Nana asked, concerned. Claus tried to avoid the subject by pretending to look over the recipe they were given, but figured it would be better just to spill the beans.

"Well, you know my brother?" He asked hesitantly. Nana's face immediately lit up, a smile crossing her face.

" _Yeeeaah_ , that Lucas." She gushed with a small giggle. Claus mentally rolled his eyes. It was already obvious that Nana had a serious thing for his twin.

"God, I'm gonna throw up. Don't even try, girls turn his light right off." He groaned playfully, "Well, we kinda had a falling out over the weekend, y'know?" He admitted. He decided to leave out the more intense part. Nana shrugged a bit, deciding to take over the cutting of the carrots, in fear that Claus might break the cutting board in half.

"You've argued before, haven't you? I'm sure it'll pass." She suggested.

"Well, no, I don't think so," Claus continued, "I mean, we're brothers. Of course, we'll always argue, but we're fighting this time. Like... _fighting_. Like, we didn't even talk to each other at all this morning."

"Yeesh..." Nana cringed, "What's all the beef about?"

"Well, it started when I got all pissed off at my boyfriend. He was  _very obviously_  flirting with some girl right in front of me." Claus began.

"What, Ninten? Isn't that kind of...his entire personality, though? Being a gigantic flirt?" Nana asked, somewhat amused.

"Uh, yeah, but...like...? Right in front of me? Anyways, back on track. This led to Lucas calling me 'overly controlling', and get this, he said I'm too jealous! As if it's  _the absolute worst_  thing!" Claus spat.

"Well...being jealous is kinda.. _.not_  good, I guess. I can see where Lucas is coming from." Nana told him.

"Just because you have a giant crush on him doesn't mean you can't take my side." Claus half teased, half accused. He didn't understand why this was such a bad thing. Wasn't it basically his responsibility to worry about people important to him? He was only trying to be a good boyfriend, and a good brother. He pulled open the oven with his foot, allowing Nana to set their now finished creation into it. Claus ran his hands through his hair and sighed.

"Thank god that's over, I've gotta sit." He muttered, wiping sweat off his forehead and sat down in the nearest chair. Nana took a knee down next to him and patted his back, pressing her lips into a thin line. Unsure of what to say, she shrugged a bit.

"Y'know...I'm sure it'll blow over. It's not like he's gonna move out or anything, right?" She asked, trying to lighten the mood. Claus laughed a bit.

"Heh...yah. I could stab Lucas, and he wouldn't move out."

* * *

"Hey, Ninten?"

Ninten turned in response to a finger tapping him on the shoulder. He spotted Lucas, and smiled.

"What's up, Cupcake?" He asked, closing his locker and leaning back against it. Lucas fidgeted and bit his lip.

"Do you, uh...do you still have those applications?" He asked. Ninten's brow furrowed, and he shrugged off his backpack to dig around in it.

"Sssssure...? They're right here." He handed the slightly crinkled papers to Lucas hesitantly.

Lucas instantly snatched them out of his hand and flattened them against a locker, grabbed his pencil from his pocket, and began to furiously scribble down his information. His hand was moving so fast, Ninten couldn't keep up.

"Whoa, dude! You sure you wanna go through with this? Don't you wanna think this through or something? I mean, you're gonna be leaving Claus all alone, and-"

"I'd rather live under a bench than with him. Here." Lucas directly handed over the now completed forms. Ninten took them with unsure hands, and looked at his friend, shocked by his slightly bitter voice.

"Uh..." He paused, "Okay? I guess I'll meet you after school?" He suggested. Lucas nodded and gave a small smile.

"Thanks. Sorry for snapping." He murmured, before turning and walking away. Ninten watched him go, eyes wide. There was barely any hesitation, he observed. He swatted himself upside the head, realizing that Claus was not going to be happy at all.

" _I think I just made the biggest mistake of my life..._ " He thought, " _Better go tell him before he finds out himself._ "

* * *

"What the  _FUUUUUUUUCK?!_ "

"Claus-"

"Stupid piece of...!  _What?!"_

"Please calm down-"

" _You_  calm down!"

"I'm not even yelling-"

"Stupid, stupid, stupid, dumb, stupid... _!"_

Ninten rolled his eyes and rested his chin on his hand, waiting for Claus to finish. The redhead paced around the area the two were sitting at in the school courtyard, muttering angrily to himself. Claus grabbed at his hair, took a deep breath, and plopped down next to Ninten, falling over and resting his head on his lap. He gazed up at the blue sky, which was beginning to clutter up with clouds. Ninten decided he was going to skip first period, as there was no way he could let Claus be on his own when he was like this. To try and calm Claus down, he began to play with his hair.

"Hun, you have go to calm down, yeah?" He murmured, starting a braid. Claus sighed stubbornly, trying to avoid eye contact.

"I can't! Can you believe him? Lucas is such a...a...mrrhrrmm...!" He searched for some type of obscenity to call him, but came up with nothing.

"Whoa,  _language_ , hun. That word is a little strong." Ninten teased. Claus pouted and reached up to lightly slap him.

"I just...dang it! Why would Lucas do that? That's so unlike him, you know? Why would he just move out like that?" He wondered, his voice softening to a murmur. Ninten bit his lip.

"I...don't know. But you know what? I predict that two days from now, Lucas will move out of my place, and back into yours, and this whole ordeal with be solved." He promised, flashing a lazy half smile.

"Back at it again with those superpowers." Claus softly laughed, "What are you, a psychic?"

"Why does everyone ask that?" Ninten replied, "And to answer your question, yes. Yes I am."

They both laughed a bit, and a bit of time went by that was only spent with Ninten making a few more braids in Claus' hair and Claus staring at the clouds slowly beginning to roll over the sky. Ninten sighed, and decided Claus was finally calm enough to ask the question.

"Why are you guys fighting in the first place?" He asked. He saw Claus' eyes flash with fire for a split second, but he quickly composed himself.

"I've already explained it to enough people today. But to put it straightforward, he's mad because I'm too protective, and I'm mad because he's too forgiving. Something else happened, but...I don't wanna talking about it. To put even more straightforward, we've never fought this bad before." He explained. Ninten's brow furrowed.

"Well, that explains it. You know Lucas, hun. He  _hates_  it when he gets upset. He probably can't take it, and chose to move out rather than to face you. I think you should just go ahead and apologize." Ninten suggested.

"Um, no. He started it." Claus pouted. Ninten decided not to further the subject. There was obviously something Claus wasn't telling him. There was no way that Lucas would leave his brother just because of one little fight. Something else had definitely happened.

" _God, I wish I really_ was _a psychic right now._ " Ninten thought, frowning a bit. He hoped that this would blow over.

* * *

"Demi, Point, Demi, Flat, Tendu, Tendu, Pique, Flat...Lucas, raise those arms!"

Lucas snapped to attention, and scrambled to position his arms correctly.

"Yes ma'am...!" He replied, getting a nod from the dance teacher. He tried to focus on keeping his form balanced and correct during the warm up the class was doing. In the mirror in front of him, he noticed his leg was slightly bent. He tried to straighten it, but it refused to. Thankfully, the instructor finally began the lesson. Her words were muffled, however, as Lucas once again went into a trance. This trance, of course, was the overwhelming guilt and self loathing he felt. The events of the past weekend were still poking at him, and he still couldn't get over the shock of knowing that he actually willingly moved out of him and his brother's apartment.

He felt a slight nudge from Paula, who stood beside him. She waited until the teacher wasn't looking, and passed a small clip of paper to him. Lucas slightly glanced down at the note:

_What's the matter with you today?_

Lucas sighed; that was the question he was afraid of. Well, he couldn't avoid it forever. And he didn't know anyone else who was better at giving advice and listening to your problems, so why the hell not?

Once the teacher sent the students off to work on some project, Lucas and Paula sat down across from each other in their usual corner, pretending to be discussing the project.

"Alright, what's wrong, Cupcake? Something's really eating you. Now, I've already heard that you and your brother were fighting, but you always make up! What happened? And don't just tell me what everyone else has already explained to me, okay? Ninten texted me, saying that Claus mentioned something he didn't wanna talk about. Spill the tea." Paula finally allowed Lucas to speak. He sighed.

"I...don't really wanna talk about it either, Princess." He muttered.

"Lucas, normally I would say that you don't have to if you don't want to, but I want to help you, alright? I need to know what's going on so that we can fix it!" Paula urged, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"No, really. I  _really_  don't wanna." Lucas insisted, growing increasingly nervous.

"Please? Pretty please?" Paula asked, looking at him through her eyelashes. Lucas groaned.

" _Don't do that..._ " He begged.

"Do what?"

"That thing you do, when you want something, so you make a cute little Paula face and then you get it. It's not working this time." Lucas turned away.

"Please, Lucas?" Paula repeated in a sugary sweet voice.

" _Okay_ , fine." Lucas took a deep breath, "When I say we fought, I really mean...you know,  _fought_. He admitted quietly. Paula's jaw dropped slightly and she raised a hand to her mouth.

"You don't mean, like... _fought_  fought, right?" Paula asked, "Oh, Lucas! You actually  _hurt_  each other?"

Lucas averted eye contact, bit his lip, and nodded shamefully.

"He stared it, though!" He insisted, "We were in a really heated argument, then he jabbed my shoulder, then I jabbed his shoulder, then he shoved me, then I shoved him, and I don't remember much, but I remember that I hit him! In the  _face_! With my  _hand_!" Lucas explained at almost the speed of light, becoming more and more hysterical. He was now a tear stained mess, collapsed on the floor.

Paula used every ounce of her strength to not burst into laughter; Lucas' breakdown was almost comical in a way. She put a hand on his shoulder and patiently waited for him to finish. Once he had calmed down, he sat up, his face red, eyes tired, and his hair in a tangle. This time, Paula couldn't contain her laughter.

"Pfft...! That looks better than your usual hairstyle." She chirped, hand over her mouth. Lucas found amusement in her small burst of giggles.

"God, how do you  _do_  that?" He laughed a bit.

"Do what?"

"That other Paula thing! Where you laugh and it makes people feel, like, 4000% better." Lucas began to smooth his hair out again. He sniffed, "It's like your my own prescription of Prozac." He froze, immediately regretting his words. "That...sounded a  _lot_  less weird in my head."

"No, no, it's cute. Watching you try and flirt." Paula teased, poking his cheek.

"Uh, Paula, I'm kind of  _gay._ " Lucas reminded playfully, drawing his legs into his chest. Paula laughed again.

"I know, I'm just teasing." Paula said, "Feel better?"

"Hmm...yeah." Lucas grinned. The look of guilt still lingered on his face, however. Paula smiled sympathetically, and cupped the side of his face.

"Sweetie, come on. You two are brothers, you can't keep avoiding the eventual fistfight." She said. "Me and my older sister? Jesus, she almost put me in the emergency room, once. All because some boy she was obsessed with asked me out."

"Let me guess..."

"Ness."

"Thought so." Lucas confirmed. He wasn't too educated on the relationship between Ness and his friends back then, but he was aware that he and Paula had dated for a while. He got up, finally finding the strength to land a proper form. "Yesss, there we go. You wanna work on our routine?" He asked, holding out a hand. Paula took it, and hoisted herself up.

"There we go,  _there's_  my Lucas." She said.

* * *

The next 24 hours was a complete mess. Lucas hadn't even bothered to move his things to his new home, so he ended up sleeping on the floor of Ninten's apartment for the time being. Not that he would get any sleep anyways; he was too mad. Claus wasn't doing any better, now that he was living on his own now. He actually looked forward to school, because at least he'd be somewhere other than his home.

Before he knew it, the first period bell had rung.

Claus closed his locker, and looked up to come face to face with Lucas, who had just shut his own locker. He narrowed his eyes. Lucas responded by crossing his arms and leaning to the side.

"I'm not saying sorry." Claus finally stated, breaking the silence.

"Back at you." Added Lucas.

"I can't  _believe_  you!" Spat Claus, "First, you didn't come home last night, then I find out you moved in with my  _boyfriend_? Isn't that a little...oh, I don't know, a little  _sketchy_?!"

Lucas' eyes darted nervously to the side, and he leaned in close, "Maybe lower your voice a bit, genius? People are staring!" He hissed. "And just so you know? I'll move out of his place once you admit you were wrong."

"You started the whole thing!"

"You know what I  _didn't_  start? This." Lucas lifted his sleeve and gestured to the very visible bruise on his arm. Claus slightly cringed; he didn't know he had caused that much damage.

"W-well, why'd you hit back?! Aren't  _you_  the one who promotes settling things with words? Isn't that what you're known for in this school?" Claus asked. Lucas' eyes shifted to the floor; he wasn't so sure how to answer that.

"Um..." He murmured, before shaking his head, "Don't even  _try_  to blame me for this. I have to get to my class."

"Wait, so you're saying all of this is  _my_  fault?!" Claus grabbed him by the shoulder to stop him from leaving.

"I didn't say that, now let go of me!" Lucas yanked his arm away. A small crowd of students had taken interest, and had begun to clump around them. Lucas desperately looked around, " _No, no, nononono..._ " He thought, " _Please don't look at me..._ "

"Show him what you're made of, Luc!" Shouted a voice from the crowd.

"No! Listen, this is  _not_  how you settle things!" Lucas protested. "He's my brother. I'm not gonna hurt him!"

" _Typical Lucas._ " Claus muttered through clenched teeth, "Always afraid to get your hands dirty, aren't you?"

"What the  _hell_  is that supposed to mean?" Lucas asked, eyes narrowed.

"This is exactly what I was talking about! You're so loyal to always trying to settle things with words, but you never known when you need to  _break!_ " With his last word, Claus shoved his hand into Lucas' shoulder, causing him to stagger back a little. Lucas felt provoked enough to strike back, but he felt two pairs of hands grab his arms; he turned to see that it was Kumatora and Ness behind him. Both looked bewildered and shocked. He saw that Claus was being restrained by Ninten and Paula.

"You guys, chill out!" Kumatora said. Lucas tried to wrangle his way out of their grasp.

"Lucas, cut it out...!" Ness pleaded, "I've never seen you like this, what's going on?"

"I know when I need to defend myself, Claus! I just try not to use violence!" Lucas ignored his friends and focused on trying to break free.

"Oh, please. If you  _really_  knew when to use violence, then you would've never been put in the hospital by  _that!_ " Claus jerked his head towards Ness. Lucas felt Ness' grip on him loosen for a split second, and he took that opportunity to break loose and launch himself at his brother.

That was  _it_.

It took the force of almost ten students to keep the twins apart; both were focused on practically slaughtering the other. It was a mess of yelling, crowds, and teachers trying to handle the situation. Finally, they managed to keep both brothers contained, and separated them.

Within minutes, Lucas was sitting beside Claus in the principal's office, both facing away from each other, arms crossed.

"Lucas, I just don't know what to say," Mrs. Wyman murmured, her eyebrows furrowed, "This is so unlike you, and I must say, I'm quite disappointed that  _you_  of all people would resort to such tactics to settle an argument.  _Especially_  with your brother." She added, gesturing to Claus.

Lucas squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, hands clasped together and eyes staring guiltily down at the floor. He couldn't bring himself to look his Principal in the eye. She turned to look at Claus.

"And Claus, I put you in this school for a reason, alright? I saw your academic potential, and  _this_  is how you show your worth?" She demanded, glaring at him through her silver rimmed glasses. Claus, while not as reserved as Lucas, avoided eye contact. Mrs. Wyman sighed and shook her head. "I understand you two are brothers. I understand that brothers have arguments, and sometimes resort to fistfights. But school grounds are not the place to do it, understand?"

"Yes'm." Muttered both boys.

"Good. Now, Lucas, since you have shown exceptional behavior all year, I will not put as much of a heavy punishment. You are one of my most well behaved students, after all, so we can try to overlook this black mark. Same with you, Claus, since you are brand new, and I can't imagine the stress you are under. Actions such as this would normally be dealt with three weeks of detention, but you two will be settled with one, alright?"

Lucas perked up, eyes wide, "No!" He begged, "Ma'am, please, I-I've never been to detention before, I can't! I'll do anything else, just please don't give me detention!" He stood up, panicking.

"Oh no,  _detention_. What a nightmare." Claus muttered sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Lucas began to say something back, but didn't want to add on to his sentence. He sat back down and looked at the floor.

"Yes'm, one week sounds fine." He replied. The Principal nodded and stood up, casting a sympathetic look at Lucas.

"I'm sorry, honey. You've helped me so much with Tracy lately, but I'm afraid I can't turn away from my responsibilities, okay?" She explained. Lucas only nodded solemnly. She held the door open for the twins as they stepped out of her office. Claus turned to say something, but Lucas glared at him with a type of ferocity and hatred that Claus didn't think his brother even had the capability of having. It startled him, seeing how much fire was burning in his eyes.

" _Fuck you._ " Lucas spat, in a voice so dark that Claus could've sworn it was someone else talking.

"What?!" Claus cried, feeling slightly intimidated. This was a side of Lucas he and nobody else had ever seen, he was sure.

"How could you  _say that about him_ , Claus? About Ness? He's not even a human anymore to you, huh? He's a 'that'?" Lucas asked, "Right when I thought you two had finally gotten along..." He threw up his hands in frustration.

"You really think that was on purpose, Lucas? Really? Didn't even stop to wonder if it was maybe just a slip of the tongue?!"

"Maybe it was, but he was standing  _right_  there! He doesn't need to be reminded about it!"

"I can't believe this," Claus ran his hands through his hair, "You know what? Maybe he does. Maybe he does need to be reminded, because I just don't want it to happen again, alright?"

"Oh, so you don't trust him, is that it?" Lucas began to walk away. Claus followed him.

"You know that's not what I meant, Lucas, come on." He said, "Why do you think we still learn about slavery? World War II? All that depressing shit, huh? To make sure it doesn't happen again!"

"Bye, Claus." Lucas called without turning around, desperate to just end the whole thing.

"Whatever." Claus muttered, heading the opposite way.

Lucas, though he had never skipped a class before, decided he would take the chance. There was no way he'd be able to focus in math today. So, he decided to go outside to his favorite courtyard tree and take a breather. He leaned against the tree, not caring about the bark scraping against him. All the events of the day were too much.

" _Who does Claus think he is?_ " He thought. He bit his lip and hid his face in his hands, " _What would mom and dad think...?_ "

He grabbed his sweater vest and buried his face in it, before letting out a muffled scream. He was just too frustrated. Frustrated with school, with Claus, and definitely at himself. He'd never been this disappointed in himself before.

"That bad, huh?"

Lucas looked up; it was Ness. He stood there, backpack lazily shrugged on and a cigarette between his fingers. Lucas, too tired to say anything, only nodded. Ness bowed his head back in response. He sat down next to him and leaned against the tree as well.

"Skipping third period?" Lucas finally managed to asked, his voice quiet.

"Yeah, it's been...kind of a crazy day." Ness murmured, taking a drag and slowly breathing out. He held out the cigarette, "You wanna finish this off? There's not much left, but-" Before he could finish his sentence, Lucas snatched it out of his hands and brought it to his lips, inhaling deeply. Ness nodded. "Yep, I get it." He replied with a bit of a laugh.

"Listen, about what Claus said...Christ, I just wanna give him a piece of my mind sometimes." Lucas muttered, "Sorry."

"Nah, it's all good. I'm sure he didn't mean it."

"I just wish he wasn't so negative about you, you know? I know that you guys made amends and all, but he's still..." Lucas searched for a word.

"Suspicious." Ness offered.

"Yah, that's the word. Suspicious." Lucas repeated.

"He just wants to protect you. But he's trying to like me, I think. When he and I went out on your balcony that one night, I think he got high so that he would be all chill and stuff." Ness guessed, drawing his knees into his chest. Lucas sat up straight and looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

"That  _was_  weed, wasn't it?!" He cried, "I knew it! Dang it, Claus..."

"Don't try and act like you don't smoke it, come on. Don't think I haven't seen your grinder." Ness teased, poking at the side pocket on Lucas' backpack. Lucas, shocked that he had been found out, threw his bag to the side.

"W-whatever!" He stammered, laughing. He was thankful that Ness was trying to keep a positive light.

"So, I heard that you moved in with Ninten, huh?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, I just don't think I can handle living with Claus for now, you know?" Lucas admitted.

"You gonna transfer your stuff after school, or...?"

"I don't think I'm going to either apartment tonight, heh. I don't think Ninten would appreciate it if I came to his home after I tried to kill his boyfriend. I'll see if I can room with Kumatora for the time being." Lucas decided.

"You could room with me, if you wanted." Ness offered casually.

"Wait, really?"

"Yah, it's no problem, my family doesn't care."

"What about your dad?"

"He's not home this month. He's coming back...geez, in about two weeks? It'll be like you were never there."

Lucas smiled at him gratefully. "That'd be nice. I'll sort everything out tomorrow." He smushed the last of the cigarette into the ground, putting it out.

* * *

"Ness, are you sure? I don't want to be a bother, or..."

"Hey! Luc! Chillax. I've told you time and time again, it's fine."

Ness' house came into view as the two of them rounded a corner. Ness suddenly stopped in his tracks, nervously gazing ahead. Lucas stopped too, glancing back at him, concerned.

"What's wrong?" He asked, looking back at the house. Nothing seemed to be wrong with it. Ness sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"There's...there's another car..." He muttered, breaking into a jog. Lucas followed, and noticed that rather than two, there were indeed three vehicles parked in front of the house. He crossed his fingers as the two of them neared the front door. Ness took a moment to take a breather, then he reached to open the door. However, it swung open before he could even touch the knob.

"Nesley." The tall, intimidating form of Dale Wyman stood there, and he didn't look happy. Lucas' heart nearly stopped.

"Ah! Hey! Hey, dad!" Ness stammered, "I...didn't know you were home this early!"

"There was an unfortunate accident at the hall today, so we've been sent home for the night." Dale narrowed his eyes, "Why is it that you've returned home in the middle of the evening, son? And who is this?" He asked, shifting his gaze towards Lucas, who was almost ready to pass out in the presence of such an important political figure.

"Oh, uh...you see, my friend, uh...you've met him, right?" Ness asked. Lucas shook his head, terrified.

"No-ay, we 'aven't-hay." He muttered quietly from the side of his mouth.

"What?" Ness whispered back.

" _No we haven't!_ " Lucas shot back, also whispering. He jumped upon seeing that Dale had offered his hand. He shook it, and put on the most confident face he could muster.

"Why is he here?" Dale asked, seeming slightly irritated.

"He, uh...was gonna help me study, that's all." Ness replied.

"Ah, yes, you have been struggling with English, I've noticed." Dale nodded, allowing the two of them inside. Ness mentally celebrated; he bought it.

"Yeah, so Lucas is helping me. He and his brother, they're really good at English." Ness said. Dale's face suddenly changed from neutral to slightly offset. He furrowed his brow ever so slightly.

"Lucas?" He murmured.

"Uh...yeah?" Ness replied, confused. Dale opened his mouth to say something, but instead guided Ness by the shoulder to the other side of the room, motioning for Lucas to stay where he was. Ness looked at him, a bit concerned. "Dad, what's the problem?"

"Well, Nesley, you see..." Dale paused, glancing back over at Lucas, "I'm not saying that I believe this, or that it's true, but..." He trailed off. Ness raised an eyebrow.

"But what? What's wrong with him?" Ness asked, glancing back at his friend, who awkwardly stood where he was told.

"Nothing, nothing. But...well, Nesley, you understand that some of your schoolmates have parents that work with me, yes?" Dale asked.

"Yeah, a few of 'em."

"Well, through their children, my coworkers have passed on...interesting information to me.

"Information?" Ness asked, a bit nervous. Had his father found out about his old habits? "Like what?"

"An acquaintance of mine informed me that you two have a very strong friendship. Am I correct about this?" Asked Dale.

"Yeah, we're really close." Replied Ness.

"I've been notified of something that happened about a week and a half ago. A peer of yours reported seeing the two of you outside the school after classes had ended." Dale explained. Ness remembered what he was talking about, but he wished he could remember what had happened. Hopefully his father hadn't found out that he'd been drinking that day.

"Y-yah, we were just hanging out! With water! Lots and lots of water." Ness made sure to add in that last part.

"Yes, that's what I heard, at first. Nesley, they mentioned that they spotted you and your friend partaking in...concerning activity."

"What?" Ness was a little frightened. Had they gotten into trouble, possibly? He shifted on his feet a little, "What do you mean?"

"He claims he spotted you, quite willingly, might I add, kissing him." Dale finished, his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Ness' heart dropped, and his breath caught in his throat.

" _Fuck, I remember, now..._ " He thought, glancing back at Lucas, who had the same wide eyed expression. He had obviously remembered as well. Ness turned back, his mouth dry, " _Someone saw us?! I thought we were alone...!_ " He bit his lip, "Uhhh..." Ness wasn't sure what to say at first, but his father spoke before he did.

"Not to worry, I know my son. You wouldn't be getting yourself involved in such things. But..." Dale seemed to hesitate.

"But...what?" Ness asked.

"Son, understand that we can't have rumors simply going about like this. People will start to believe that this is true, and that's dangerous for our family, alright?" Dale clasped his hands together and exhaled, "I suggest that you limit your time around Lucas." He murmured.

Ness' eyes widened, and his jaw dropped slightly. "You're  _kidding._ " He replied.

"I'm not. The more time you two spend around each other, the more people will get the wrong idea about you, and the more our family is thrown into controversy."

"You're not gonna let a small rumor bother you, are you? Hundreds of rumors go around about us every day, you can't let  _one_  mess you up!" Ness cried, raising his voice slightly.

"Don't talk to me in that tone, do you hear? You know that people only believe what they want to hear. So for now, I insist that you find company in someone else."

Ness looked back at his friend solemnly, shaking his head slowly. It was over.

But then, he noticed a look in his eyes. The same look he'd seen on that rainy, mess of a day when the two of them practically poured their hearts out to each other, and had finally made amends. That look he saw when Lucas told him words that changed his life. The look that said "Everything will be okay." How could he be so stupid? What was it that this person had taught him in the first place?

Ness' brow furrowed and he turned back around.

"No." He said.

" _Excuse_  me?" His father nearly staggered back. Ness felt a rebellious chill go up his spine. He'd never flat out denied his father; he found it somewhat exciting.

"I said  _no_. I've done a whole lot of shit for you, but I think I'm done. I think I'm done trying to be your perfect kid." He decided, "Every single day, ever since I was a little kid, I've nearly worked myself to  _death_  trying to get just a _little_  bit of satisfaction from you!" He cried, now unable to contain himself.

"Listen-"

"No, you listen! Listen for  _once_! I've already given up friends for you, and I'm not about to do it again!" Ness turned around and grabbed Lucas by the shoulders, leading him back to his father.

"Ness, what are you-" Lucas was cut off.

"You see this boy? This kid right here?" Ness gestured to him, "This one person has given me more care in the past few  _months_  than you have given me for years! So I think I'll keep him, thank you very much."

"I am only looking out for your reputation, you need to understand that! We can't have people under the impression that you're one of  _those_  people!" Dale insisted. Ness froze. He had reached his breaking point.

"One of  _those_  people?" He repeated, "You know, the word 'gay' isn't that hard to say, alright?  _Why would it matter if I was or not?!_ "

"Because I'm not going to have one under my roof, and that's final!"

"Wow. Just... _wow_. Okay, fine! Here's a plot twist for you. What would you do if you found out that you've had one of  _those_  people living under your roof for the past  _eighteen years?!_ " Ness immediately covered his mouth, regretting his words. " _Shit...!_ " He thought.

He felt Lucas' grip on his arm loosen. The silence that filled the room was unbearable, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Ness glanced to the side, catching the eye of his friend, who looked just as shocked as his father did. He was tempted to sprint as fast as he could and just leave everything behind him, but he found himself unable to move.

"D-dad, I-"

" _How long have you felt like this?_ " His father muttered darkly, slowly advancing.

"...About a month, I guess-"

"And you never told us? We could've gotten you help at this point!" His father grabbed him by the shoulders assertively, desperately trying to look his son in the eye. "Look at me when I talk to you." He insisted. Ness hesitantly lifted his head. "Listen here. First thing tomorrow, you are going to an appointment to try and get you fixed, alright? Now, I suggest you see your friend out."

"Yes sir." Ness muttered, defeated. He sent an apologetic glance at Lucas, and motioned for him to follow. Lucas obliged at first, but stopped before they reached the door.

"Ness." He murmured, squeezing his arm. Ness turned to him, confused. They locked eyes, and Ness instantly realized what he had to do. Lucas had already faced his obstacle head on and showed it was he was made of. Now, it was his turn. He took a deep breath, and turned to face his father once again.

"I don't need fixing." He said.

" _Nesley,_ " His father warned.

"I don't. Need.  _Fixing!_ " Ness repeated, raising his voice once more, once again feeling adrenaline course through his body. "And I'm not gonna let you force it on me. Not this time." He finished. There was another period of silence. His father sighed.

"Well, if you are unable to live by the rules of this house, I suspect you'll have no trouble seeing yourself out." He stated.

Ness heard his own heart race. It would be tough, but he knew he was doing what was best for him. He didn't say anything.

"Five minutes." Said Dale.

Ness didn't waste any time; he grabbed Lucas by the arm and led him down to the basement, where his room was. Lucas stood in the corner, unsure of what to say, as Ness grabbed a suitcase from his closet and began to fill it up with whatever he could find, all the while reciting pi to himself. There was a hint of nervousness and hesitating in his movements. Lucas slowly approached him, hand outstretched.

"Ness, um..."

"I know you're gonna try and change my mind, Luc."

"You have to give this a second thought, you can't just move out without thinking about the consequences!" Lucas insisted as he jogged to follow Ness out of the room.

"Sound familiar?" Ness muttered over his shoulder.

Lucas stopped for just a moment, before shaking his head and following him again.

"Don't pull that crap with me!" Lucas shot back, continuing down the hallway, "You know that this is different! What about your sister?"

"You are in absolutely no room to talk, alright? What about  _your_  brother?" Asked Ness, turning and advancing on Lucas, who raised his hands in defense.

"I-I..." Lucas trailed off. For just a split second, he caught glance of an old side of Ness he hadn't seen in ages.

"Lucas, listen..." Ness made sure to soften the tone of his voice, "Tracy will find a way to make it without me home. But if I stay here, I will get  _hurt_. I know it's risky, but there's a difference between leaving your family because of pride, and leaving it because you're saving yourself." He turned around again and made his way up the basement stairs and into the main hallway, where he came face to face with Tracy, clad in her nightclothes.

"Nesley?" She murmured, rubbing her tired eyes. Her eyes widened when she caught sight of Lucas, and widened even more when she saw the suitcase. "Why's Lucas here? Where are you going?" She asked with perked interest.

"Aw, Trace, what're you doing up?" Ness asked, kneeling down to meet her eye level. He took her by the hands and gave her a bittersweet smile, "Tracy, listen...I'm leaving home for a while."

"What? Why? Where are you going? Can I come?" Tracy asked, her face falling. Ness shook his head slowly.

"I'm sorry, no. You have to stay here and be there for mom when dad's not around, okay?" He murmured.

"But...!"

"I need you to be strong for me, okay? If I stay home, bad things are gonna happen to me. I really need to leave. Understand?" Ness asked. Tracy pouted a bit, but nodded her head sadly and glared down at her feet. She grabbed her brother's arm and squeezed in an awkward attempt at a side hug, before pushing past him and latching herself onto Lucas. He looked at her, shocked, before putting a hand on her back. He glanced at Ness, as if to say, " _What now?_ " Ness shrugged in response.

A sound of Ness' father clearing his throat alerted the two of them. He stood patiently at the front door, which was already open. Ness stared him down, trying to intimidate him, and it seemed that he succeeded, as his father broke eye contact several times.

He hugged his sister one last time, grabbed Lucas by the hand, and quickly left the house without another word.

"Ness, wait!" Lucas called after him, jogging to keep up with his friend's speed walking. Ness didn't answer, or even acknowledge that he was there. "Listen, you need to- _Oh my god,_ " He gasped as Ness collapsed onto his hands and knees, onto the grass beside them. He rushed to his friend's side and put his hands on his shoulders, attempting to guide him up. He shook him a bit. Ness was awake, but not attempting to get up any time soon. Lucas soon realized that Ness had completely broken down, and was now in tears.

This surprised Lucas; Ness usually tried to show little emotion, in an attempt to 'keep his masculinity', as he called it.

" _I don't think I've ever seen him cry..._ " Lucas thought. He usually always knew what to do to comfort someone, but right now, sitting at the edge of a sidewalk with Ness clinging onto him as if it was to save his life, he was completely unsure. For once, he found that he had absolutely no answers. So, he simply put a supportive hand on Ness' arm. He realized that his friend was convulsing violently, and was beginning to hyperventilate. He was obviously having a pretty serious panic attack. Lucas knew what to do now; he'd had plenty of experience in calming Claus back when he'd wake up screaming in the middle of the night.

"Hey..." He murmured, "Ness, can you look at me?" He asked. Ness hesitantly lifted his head to make eye contact with Lucas. His eyes were red and tear stained. Lucas made sure to look him straight in the face, "You know what? Everything's okay. Yah? Can you say that?" He prompted.

Ness simply muttered back the phrase almost incoherently, but it seemed to reassure him slightly. The two of them sat there for what seemed to be about fifteen minutes, and Ness slowly began to regain his composure. He was still too weak to lift himself off the ground, however, so he had no choice but to stay on the wet grass. He rammed both of his palms into his face in frustration.

"God  _dammit!_ " He cried, voice still trembling, "God dammit, I'm sorry..."

"Ness, come on, it's fine! You were just trying to defend yourself-"

"No,  _no, no, no,_  it's...it's not...it's gonna happen again, isn't it? It's all gonna happen again..." Ness whispered.

"What's going to happen again?"

"This! Me! I'm gonna...I'm gonna go back to the way I was," Ness began to get hysterical again, "I don't want that to happen again, okay? I don't want to lose my friends again...not again..."

"Hey, what are you even saying? You're not gonna go back to the way you were, what gave you that idea?" Asked Lucas, confused. Ness only shook his head, his face in his hands.

"You don't get it..." He looked up, remembering why he was out here in the first place. Suddenly finding the strength to carry his own weight, he got to his feet and grabbed his suitcase again. "I have to go. Now. I have to leave."

"And where will you go?" Inquired Lucas, getting up to follow him.

"I don't know."

Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but quickly stopped himself. Ness was already dealing with enough all at once.

The two of them walked in complete silence for what seemed like hours. The sky had been dark at this point, the only light being that of the streetlights and the rare passing car. Ness didn't seem to have a certain direction he wanted to go, he was just walking wherever he felt like walking. Lucas had a million things running through his mind. He attempted several times to say something, anything that would break the uncomfortable silence. He finally decided to take a chance and bring up the obvious.

"Ness..." He said softly, "I-I had no idea. About...well, you know..."

Ness stopped in his tracks in front of him. He didn't bother asking what Lucas meant.

"No one does." He replied, "I don't even think I do. Am I...Am I gay, or...?"

"That depends, there are a whole bunch of terms and shit that even I can't keep track of. But the only person who can answer that is you." Lucas told him, relieved that the previous tension between them seemed to be gone. Ness only nodded his head, stuffing his free hand into his pocket. He thought for a moment, before turning to his friend.

"How'd you figure it out?" He asked hesitantly.

"Figure what out?" Lucas replied, "What, that I was gay?"

"Mmhmm."

"Well, uh..." Lucas shifted awkwardly; no one had ever asked him that, "When you're younger, girls are super gross, right? While all the other guys around me grew out of that, I never did, heh...I was ten when I realized that there was a reason for that. It didn't take long for me to realize what was going on." He smirked.

"Heh, wow. It sounds so easy for you."

"I was one of the lucky ones. For me, I just  _knew_ , right away." Lucas said, snapping his fingers, "Then you have people like Claus. Poor guy, he didn't even  _consider_  boys until he met Ninten."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. He thought he was totally straight until, like, this year. He went seventeen years without realizing."

"Like me?"

Lucas paused, "Well, what do you think? Are you straight?"

It took Ness a moment to think about it. "Um...I don't think so. I mean, I thought I was, but...I think I'm that thing where you like both. Boys and girls, I mean."

"Bisexual."

"Yah, that."

"Well, there you go. "

Ness nodded, understanding. He exhaled stressfully and ran both hands through his hair, which was now damp because of the small sprinkle of rain that had begun to patter down. He glanced at his shadow on the warm glow of the wet street, and the shadow of the suitcase beside him. His heart began to pound, but he kept himself in control this time.

"Shit..." He spat, "Where  _am_  I gonna go?" He realized that he practically had no plan. He began chewing on her fingernails and looked around, as if he could find the answer somewhere around him. For a split second, he glanced back at his own house which was barely visible now, but quickly turned away from the idea.

Lucas was pondering on several ideas as well. He was already confused enough with where  _he_  was going to live himself, this was just adding on to the pressure.

"I got it." Ness decided, beginning to walk again, "I'll go to a hotel for a few days, get a job, save up...I'll figure it out." His voice was low and unsure, but he was convinced that it was the only option he had, despite how hard it would be.

Lucas didn't deny it at first. He figured that it was the best option at the moment. He began to think of any of their friends who'd possibly be willing to lend a room for Ness to stay in for a while, but his mind suddenly shifted to another idea. He debated mentally on the idea he had, thinking about the consequences for both of them alike. But the angel on his shoulder eventually won over.

He bit his lip hesitantly, then spoke, "I think have an option."

* * *

The two friends stood outside of an apartment door.

They looked out of place in the warm coloured hallway, their clothing soaking wet and their hair matted to their faces. Ness took a deep breath, and turned to Lucas, nervous.

"Are you sure?" Ness asked.

"Positive." Lucas replied, giving a reassuring smirk.

"Whatever you say, I guess..." Ness shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Listen, about tonight, I...geez, I'm sorry. You really didn't need to see that. Good old dad, heh...he's quite the character."

"If anyone should be sorry, it's me. You deciding to leave...that  _was_  a good idea. I've never really needed to get  _away_  from my family to keep myself safe, you know?Sorry for not trusting you." Lucas said.

Ness smiled a bit and stared at the ground awkwardly. "You performer kids, always so melodramatic."

"You athletes, so full of...testosterone." Lucas said, snickering.

"How does that even relate to what we were talking about?" Ness asked with a genuine sounding laugh.

"I don't know, I wanted to make a comeback!"

"Just quit, you're really bad at them." Ness was met with an attack of soft but direct shoulder hits from Lucas, "Ow! Ow, sorry! Heh...I just have plenty to apologize about today, don't I?"

"Got anything else on your list?" Lucas asked.

"Actually, yes. I'm sorry about...y'know." Ness hinted, leaning against the wall, "About  _that_."

"' _That_ '?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah. That." Lucas nodded and looked at the floor, "That really happened, huh? Are you always that forward when you're wasted?"

"Not gonna deny it; yeah. I once made out with some guy for a solid five minutes last year at a party I went to. I still don't know who he was." Ness explained. Lucas, surprised by this rather out of nowhere answer, jumped a bit.

"Oh." He murmured, "Thank you for telling me that...?"

"Sorry, I'm just...so frazzled." Ness sighed and turned to the apartment door. "Okay."

"Wait!" Lucas stopped him and dug around in his pockets, pulling out a crinkled envelope. He handed it to Ness, who looked at it, confused.

"What's this?"

"Just take it. You need it more than I do." Lucas explained with a bittersweet smile. He backed away and shrugged his backpack on, indicating that he was leaving.

"Where're you going?" Ness asked, slightly panicked now. Lucas hesitated.

"Home." He told him. And with that, Lucas gave a small wave and turned, "You take care of yourself."

Ness wanted to say something, keep his friend there for just a little longer, but by the time he figured out what he would say, Lucas was gone. He stuffed the envelope in his pocket.

He had to do this on his own.

With a deep breath, reassuring himself that it was okay, he faced the door and took a second, before hesitantly knocking three times. He waited, and he waited, and he waited, and no answer. Just as he began to loose hope, the slight sound of the door latch being undone caught his attention. The door creaked open, and he came face to face with the tired, puzzled person who had answered.

"...Ness?"

"Uh...hi, Ninten..."

Ninten looked him up and down, his squinted eyes widening a bit. He was wearing a large loose shirt and PJ pants; he had obviously been sleeping recently. Ness instantly felt guilty for waking him up.

"What're you doing here at..." Ninten glanced at a nearby wall clock, "...two in the morning?"

"It's two o'clock...?" Ness marveled. He'd been up for that long? "Jesus...sorry, Ninten, I lost track of time."

"Don't worry about it," Ninten slurred. He rubbed his eyes and got a clearer vision of Ness, "Dude, you're soaking wet! How long have you been out in the rain?" He asked, his voice slightly louder now as he drifted out of his half-awake state.

"I, uh...kinda had a fucking panic attack on a sidewalk." Ness said. Ninten only got more confused, but he shook his head and sighed.

"Here, uh," He opened the door wider, "Come on in, leave your stuff wherever. You can borrow a pair of my clothes, yeah? Then you can tell me why you're at my apartment in the middle of the night."

"Thanks." Was all Ness could think of to say. He hastily took off his wet shoes and put down his suitcase, releasing the pressure in his arm. He waited patiently for Ninten to return from a different room. He soon did, holding a folded up set of clothing and a towel. Within ten minutes, Ness had cleaned himself up and was all changed. Ninten silently walked into the living area and sat down with a grunt across from Ness, who had his hands politely clasped.

"Okay..." Ninten sighed, wiping away the rest of the sand from his eyes. He had originally planned to ask a long, detailed question, but in his confusion, all that came out was, "...What?"

"I know, this is weird. Just...let me explain everything? To put it all simply, I, uh..." He debated on whether or not be should tell him, "...got kicked out of my house."

"Christ, Ness!" Ninten exclaimed, pulling his knees to his chest, "What for? I-if you don't mind my asking, of course!" He clarified.

"Funny story, um...I  _maaaaay_  have told my father that..." Ness swallowed nervously and continued, "...I maaaaaay not be as... _straight_  as he thought I was."

Ninten's eyes widened, and any sign of his tiredness instantly disappeared and he perked up, "Whoa, wait, what?" A barely noticable smile formed on his face, "Ness, you're...?"

Ness nodded. "Yyyyyep, I think so."

"Dude, that's rad!" Ninten cried, instantly shrinking down afterwards, "I mean, not that you were kicked out, I mean, that sucks. But good for you! And you just straight up  _outed_  yourself to me! Good on you, man." He congratulated, reaching forward for a fist bump. Ness obliged, feeling his spirits lift.

"Thanks, man..." He said, feeling better, "But that's why I came to you. Well, actually, that's why Lucas made me come to you."

Ninten's face darkened for only a split second. "Lucas?" He asked, obviously still a little bitter with him for what had happened earlier, "Why'd he take you here and not...?" He trailed off.

"I have no idea." Ness said, shaking his head. He suddenly remembered the envelope which sat in his pocket. He grabbed it and flipped it towards Ninten, "He  _did_  give me this, though. Maybe it's for you."

Ninten took the envelope and inspected it. No name, no address, nothing. He used his fingernail to rip open the letter and take out the contents. Ness watched his eyes scan the paper, and became confused when Ninten peered up at him with a smug grin. He slid the paper across the coffee table between them with a single pointed finger. Ness leaned over to see was it was, curiosity overtaking him.

In big, bold letters at the top of the page, it read ' _Confirmation of Residence'_.

Underneath it were multiple obvious patches of white-out.

Ness' heart skipped a beat, " _Jesus Christ, Lucas..._ " He muttered. He looked up to see Ninten holding a ballpoint pen towards him, the smirk still on his face. Ness frantically shook his head.

"I-I can't!" He said.

"Why not?" Ninten asked, "Come on!"

"Because...! Well, look! You and me? In the same room? For extended periods of time? Let alone  _living together?_  You see the same problem as me, right?" Ness asked.

"Listen, Ultra-Vi. Guy to guy? Heart to heart? I know we never really got along," Ninten considered.

"Yah, not at all."

"But honestly...I'm just not feeling that anymore. I like you! I think you're a radical dude! Think about it; we haven't had a single fight ever since the one we had before you changed. Isn't that like...a record for us?"

"I guess..."

"And if Lucas has taught you anything time and time again, it's...?" Ninten trailed off, waiting for Ness to finish the sentence. Ness rolled his eyes and smirked.

" _Anyone can change if they work for it._ " He recited with a drawl.

"Yaaaay!" Cheered Ninten. He once again held up the pen, "So?" He said, "Wanna take the chance?"

Ness raised his hand, but hesitated. " _Maybe Ninten isn't so bad._ " He thought. He grinned and shook his head, taking the pen, "If you sing  _one_  showtune, so help me..." He murmured as he began to write over the white-out.

"I'm gonna drive you _fucking crazyyyy!_ " Ninten enthusiastically cried in a sing-song voice and an exaggerated vibrato.

Once Ness had finished, Ninten gave him an awkward side-hug from across the table.

"Weee! Best friends! The power team! Name a more iconic duo!" He stated.

"Whatever happened to 'It's two in the morning'?" Ness asked with a laugh, returning the weirdly positioned hug. Before he knew it, Ninten had grabbed his hand and was leading him down the main hallway to the very last door. He opened it to reveal a barren room which only contained a closet and single bed.

"So, uh..." Ninten said, "This is the guest room, but let's face it, no one comes to visit me. I know it's a little plain, but uh..." He rubbed the back of his neck and shrugged, "Will it work?"

Though the room was empty, Ness felt a sense of safety and warmth coming from it. He walked inside and scanned the area, and instantly felt like he belonged there. It was as if this room had been specifically made for him. Ness felt his eyes begin to water for the second time that night, but this time, it was in a good, happy way. He turned around and rushed towards Ninten, hugging him again. Ninten staggered back, not expecting the sudden action. But he smiled and returned it, patting his friend on the back.

"It's perfect." Ness said softly.

It was quiet for a moment, until Ninten pulled away and dramatically gagged.

"Geez, since when are you Mr. Sentimental?" He said playfully.

"Even I have emotions, asshat." Ness said back.

"Dickwad."

"Loser."

The two of them laughed for a moment, before Ninten stretched his arms above his head and groaned in exhaustion. "Welp," He yawned, "I'm going to go to sleep. It has been one crazy night for the both of us, so I think we both deserve at least  _some_  peace of mind."

"Yeah. Sorry again for coming into your house and moving in spontaneously." Ness said.

"Naaah, it's okay. Anyone is better than Lucas."

"Is he not a pleasant roomie?"

"If by 'not pleasant' you mean 'cleans the whole flat two times in a row', then yes. Honestly, I love the kid, but  _god damn._ "

"That explains the serious scent of Windex."

"Good old Cupcake."

"Heh, yah. Well, uh...I guess I'll see you in the morning?" Ness asked.

"Yessiree." Ninten nodded. Before he left, he put a hand on Ness' shoulder, "And, hey, Ultra?" He said in a more heartfelt voice, "Good for you. Understanding yourself is not easy, and I've been where you are. Like, literally the same thing happened to me." He admitted.

"Wait, what? I thought you said your parents were cool with it?" Ness asked, as that was what Ninten had previously told him. Ninten shook his head, a hint of sadness in his otherwise content smile.

"Nope. Why do you think I live alone?" He said.

"You told us that your parents went to go work overseas."

"Nope again." Ninten shook his head again, "I made that up."

"Really?" Ness marveled, his eyes widening, "Why?"

"I didn't want anyone to freak out and worry about me. About four years ago, I came out, and my parents flipped their shit. Within 24 hours, I'm living in my friend's basement, and the minute I turned eighteen, I moved into this place. Here I am now, happy as can be." Ninten explained.

"Oh." Was all Ness could say. Ninten seemed like the most happy and carefree person in the world; Ness hadn't even considered the fact that maybe he'd been through some troubles as well. "I won't tell anyone." He promised.

"Thanks. So now you know that you have someone to talk to, yeah? Just remember, Ness. You choose your family, okay? I'm guessing it was your dad who kicked you out, I've met the guy. You know what you can do? Kick him the fuck outta your life. Or, maybe in the future, you'll make amends with him. Who knows? But it's your decision." Ninten said. Ness smiled gratefully and nodded.

"Thanks, Ninten." He said quietly. Ninten only winked in response, before turning and leaving the room. Ness closed the door to his new bedroom and looked around again. He walked over to the twin-sized bed and threw himself on it, enjoying the feeling of being able to lie down.

Before he fell asleep, the last thing he thought to himself was, " _And thank you, Lucas._ "

* * *

Claus was sitting at the kitchen table when Lucas entered the home.

He looked up, slightly frightened, in response to someone unlocking the door. He stood up, ready to defend himself, when he suddenly came face to face with his brother. The twins stared at each other for a solid few seconds, each not knowing what to say. It was Claus who found the courage to talk.

"Lucas." He acknowledged with a slight nod of the head, "You, uh...came to get your stuff?"

Lucas glanced down at his feet, the back at Claus. He shook his head, "No."

"Well then why're you-"

"If I say sorry, will you?" Lucas interrupted, closing the door behind him and walking forward a few steps. Claus furrowed his brow.

"Why're you saying it first?" He asked.

"Because I started it." He admitted, "I'm the one who..." He trailed off, looking at Claus with shameful but determined eyes. They were a few steps away from each other now. Claus wasn't so sure of how to feel. He wanted to be mad, but he couldn't find the motivation to do so. He wanted to turn his brother away and never speak to him again, but he knew that he was going to swallow his pride any second now.

Lucas took a deep breath, "Claus, I'm so-"

He was cut off by Claus practically tackling him to the ground in a tight, desperate hug.

" _Please come home._ " Claus choked. Lucas blinked, surprised. He could tell from the break in Claus' voice that he had burst into tears. "Shit, please come back home, Lucas...I'm not ready to be by myself...! I woke up the other night, and you weren't there, and I couldn't sleep..." He took a moment to catch his breath, "...And I'm so afraid that the nightmares will come back...I don't want them to come back, Lucas! I don't even know  _what_  I'm gonna do when you go to college and I'm here by myself, and..." Claus gave up on trying to speak, as he was practically sobbing at this point.

Lucas snapped out of his stunned trance and and sympathetically looked at his brother, who was shaking uncontrollably. He wrapped an arm around him and buried his face in his shoulder, missing the feeling.

"I'm here, Claus." He murmured, "And I'm never leaving again. When I graduate, I'm not going  _anywhere_  until I know you're ready. Us brothers have gotta look out for each other." He pulled away and gently tilted Claus' face upwards to look at him, "And Claus?"

"Y-yeah?" Claus sniffed.

"I'm sorry. You were right, I am a little too passive. If I wasn't such a pacifist, I probably wouldn't have been as injured as I was back then. I guess that sometimes, you really do have to resort to violence. I'll work on that...on one condition."

"That I work on being more laid back." Claus guessed. Lucas nodded, and smiled.

"I get that you're my brother, and you wanna protect me. But I'm gonna be considered a legal adult in a few months. You know I'm capable of handling myself. And the thing with being protective is that if you get too obsessive, it could turn ugly. You understand that, yeah?"

"Mmhmm."

"The same thing with jealousy. You trust Ninten, right?"

"Of course."

"Talk to him about what happened. Tell him you're not comfortable with him flirting with others, and I'm sure he'll stop. Just avoid jealousy. That's a major red flag, okay?"

"Okay."

"Jesus...Claus, come here." Lucas pulled his brother close again and clung to him as if it were to save his life, "Just...sorry. Sorry that I hurt you."

"Me too." Claus replied. He had become teary eyed again. "You'll stay? Promise?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die." Lucas confirmed. Nearby, he spotted his phone on the ground light up with a notification. He reached over and picked it up, checking the text he had received. He smiled.

**_Recieved, 2:46 AM._ **

**_Ness: 'thanks lucas.'_ **

* * *

"Alright, alright, prepare for initiation!"

Ninten waved his arms to silence the group at the lunch table. It had been a week since the whole fiasco between the twins, and the tension, while still there, was settling. Right now, it was a spare period, meaning they had the cafeteria to themselves. Ninten gestured to both Claus and Travis, who sat next to each other.

"Our friend group continues to grow! First Lucas, then Ness, and now these two. And you all know what that means!"

"Nicknames!" Everyone cheered, expect for Claus and Travis.

"Here's how it works, you two." Ninten began, "We all work together to make an alternative name for you. You get a say in it, but we make the foundation, alright?"

"Sounds good." Said Claus.

"Great! Travis first, since he joined first." Ninten said, sitting down. The group of friends all observed him, making him squirm shyly a bit.

"I'm thinking...something having to do with his hair. Brownish." Paula remarked.

"Hot chocolate! I like hot chocolate. It's warm and sweet; just like Travis!" Ana said, making Travis blush.

"Aw, gee..." He gushed.

"Pancake? Those are brown, yeah?" Suggested Jeff.

"Hershey." Lucas added.

"Dirt!" Kumatora cried, receiving the typical glare from the others, "What? It's brown, isn't it?"

Tony raised his hand, "Chestnut." He stated. The others shrugged, turning to Ninten.

"I like it." He considered, "How 'bout it, Travis?"

"I like chestnuts!" Travis agreed.

"It's settled! Welcome to the team! I dub thee, 'Chestnut'." Ninten said. He gestured to Claus, "And now, for Claus. I've already got a good one: 'Cutie Pie.'" He smirked. Claus sent back a suggestive glance, eyebrows raised.

"Eeeeewww!" Kumatora yelled, "You guys are gross!"

" _You're_  gross! Anyways, what do you guys have?" Ninten asked.

"I want something cool. Like Chainsaw." Claus said. "Or Bloodstain."

"Oh, that's...creative." Travis said.

"How about 'Gingersnap'?" Ness suddenly said. He and Claus stared at each other for a good few seconds, before Ness scrambled to his feet and sprinted out of the cafeteria. Claus nodded in satisfaction and leaned back in his chair.

" _Better run._ " He muttered, "Actually, you guys, I kinda like it." He considered.

"Really? Isn't that your set-off word?" Asked Lucas.

"It sounds better when you think of the 'snap' part being like snapping someone's neck." Claus explained.

"Well, if Claus likes it, I guess that's his title. I dub thee, 'Gingersnap'." Ninten announced. He leaned in close and whispered loud enough for the others to hear, " _Still calling you 'Cutie Pie', though_."

This was met with multiple yells of mock disgust. Claus got up suddenly.

"Wait, where're you going?" Asked Paula.

"Gonna go beat up Ness." He said, jogging out of the cafeteria. Paula nodded, not bothering to stop him.

Lucas rolled his eyes and rested his chin in his hand. He was glad things were back to normal, whatever this 'normal' was. From outside the hallway, he heard an obvious male falsetto shriek of terror.

" _Welp, Claus found Ness._ " He thought, amused. Typical Claus.

He really did love his brother to bits.


	11. The One Where Ness Falls in Love

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Ness shut the door to his car and glared over at Lucas, who had just exited the passenger's seat.

"Oh, hush. Follow!" Lucas motioned for him to walk, and the two walked down the sidewalk, which was framed by fenced trees. Sunlight streamed through the leaves, casting a dappled shadow on the concrete, and lush green leaves floated to the ground. Behind the trees was a line of small, cozy houses. It was the nicer side of the city, where citizens often turned their own houses into businesses, with signs in their front yards and in their windows. Lucas was leading his friend to a house near the end of the street.

"I really don't need to do this, Luc." Ness protested, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"It's good for you! Trust me, it did wonders for Claus." Lucas promised.

"Yah, sure, but... _therapy?_ " Ness said, "Are you sure?"

"You listen to me! Last time something happened between you and your father, you bottled everything up and turned into a dickwad." Lucas reminded stubbornly. Ness rolled his eyes, and Lucas continued, "This time, I want you to get help. Please, Ness?"

"Only for you, Lucas." Ness muttered, sighing.

They finally reached the house, and made their way up to the porch.

"I think a therapist's a little extreme." Ness said.

"Better safe than sorry. Trust me, Ness. This woman is a very good friend of mine, she basically raised me and Claus back when we were kids and our parents weren't around. She's very good at what she does." Lucas explained, knocking on the door. A few seconds passed, and a familiar, friendly face appeared in the doorway.

"My, my, it's Lucas!"

"Hi, Caroline!" He greeted as the woman grabbed his face and kissed his forehead. Ness snickered, and received a swat on the arm by his friend. Lucas gestured to her, "Ness, this is Caroline. Master's Degree in Psychology, and total professional."

"You must be Nesley, hi!" Caroline smiled and shook Ness' hand. Ness glared daggers at Lucas, who stifled a laugh at the mention of his birth name.

"Just, uh...just ' _Ness_ ' is fine." He clarified with an awkward grin.

"Alright, I'll call you that. Come on in, drop your stuff off! You're right on time." Caroline entered the house and beckoned for the two of them to follow. Once the two of them had removed their shoes, she led them to a separate room where two couches sat across from each other. She began to talk again, "So, Ness. You and I have about an hour and a half together, so the first thing I want you to know is that you can trust me. Alright?"

"Okay." Was Ness' quiet reply.

"Now," Caroline continued, "You have a choice. Do you want Lucas to be in here with you, or do you just want it to be private?"

"It's okay, he can leave if he wants." Ness suggested, suddenly feeling very introverted. Lucas nodded and shrugged his bag on.

"Yah, okay. I'll go wait outside, yeah, Carol?" He asked, to which Caroline nodded. Ness watched as his friend left the room and Caroline began to close the door. He suddenly panicked without the presence of Lucas with him.

"Wait! Hold on..." Ness called, "Sorry, um...Lucas, could you...? Um..." He trailed off, jerking his head a bit to motion for him to come back. Lucas shrugged.

"Ooookay, I guess I'll stay." He said. Ness sent him a quick grateful smile. He didn't know why he felt so small all of a sudden.

Caroline sat down in a recliner nearby, gesturing for the two boys to sit across from her. They obliged. Caroline grabbed a clipboard and positioned a pen, where she wrote something down; most likely her patient's name.

"First thing's first, I wanna be a friend of yours, yeah? My job is to make sure you have a friendly face to turn to." She stated. Ness only nodded in response. She continued, "Like I said, you can trust me. Everything we discuss is completely confidential. The only time I'll tell someone what's going on is if I think you may be hurting yourself or someone else, okay? But other than that, I am sworn to secrecy."

"Okay." Replied Ness. He didn't feel uncomfortable, but he felt out of place. Wasn't therapy only for messed up people?

"So, perhaps you could start by telling me why you think you needed to see me?" Caroline suggested, crossing one leg over the other. Ness laughed a bit and turned to Lucas.

"I'm actually not the one who signed up." He playfully said.

"Alright, so, Lucas? Why do you think he needs this?" Caroline asked, also laughing. Lucas made sure to make eye contact with Ness.

"Can I tell her?" He asked. Ness hesitated, but eventually nodded. Lucas continued, "Well, um...at the beginning of the school year, me and Ness weren't really friends. I was new and vulnerable, and Ness had a sense of...well,  _entitlement_." He explained, feeling sad because he had to look back on these events. tHroughout his explanation, Caroline would respond with either nods or 'mmhmm's. He continued, "To put it simply, it was a bullying situation." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ness wince. He reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it in reassurance. When he began to pull his hand away, Ness held on tight, obviously not wanting him to let go. So, he didn't.

"I see." Said Caroline, "How intense would it get?" There didn't seem to be a sense of repulsion or surprise in her voice, but Ness could tell that she now had a sense of distaste for him.

"It started off as just constant taunting and the occasional shoving into lockers," Lucas said, "It got worse as time went on. I found out that I was the only person to really stand up to him, and that's why I was his main target. Eventually, it got so bad that he-" Lucas found himself unable to explain, and his voice had grown shaky. Ness noticed this, and took matters into his own hands.

"I hurt him. Real bad, too. At first, all I wanted to do was to rough him up a bit, you know? He stood up to me in front of the whole school that day, and I needed revenge for that. I only meant to shove him, maybe cause a bruise or two. But then he fought back, and that just fueled me. After that, I didn't even know what I was doing, I..." Ness took a minute to catch his breath, as he was beginning to breathe heavily, "...I beat the shit outta him. And I just...left him there. It was  _snowing_ , for god's sake, and I left him there. He would've died if the cops hadn't found him."

" _You're the one who-_ " Caroline stopped herself, clearing her throat, "I'm sorry, goodness..."

"It's okay, I get it. I'm the one who should be sorry." Ness said. He noticed that Caroline looked a little off. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No, no. I promise, if Lucas doesn't have any hard feelings, then I don't either. You've obviously changed." Caroline said, returning to her usual cheerful state. "Carry on." She said.

"I'll say the rest. I'm okay." Said Lucas, "Anyways, shortly after that, we actually called the police, because we felt like something needed to be done."

"And he freakin' bailed me." Ness interrupted, brow furrowed, "God...he straight up lied to the cops to keep from getting arrested, and I didn't even say thank you until, like, a month later..." He clenched his teeth, "I just went back to being an ass! And I hate myself every day, Christ..." Lucas squeezed his hand again, which calmed him down a bit. He took over explaining again.

"But I didn't wanna give up on him. You know me, Caroline. Everyone has potential to change, in my eyes, and...so did Ness. It took some time, but here we are today. And he's growing! The days after we made amends, he was introverted as hell. He would really only ever talk to me. But here he is now!" He turned to Ness and tried to put an encouraging tone in his voice. "Goin' back to your usual self. Just...minus the shitty attitude." He said. Ness failed to keep a straight face and burst into a small fit of laughter.

Caroline smiled, seeing to two boys connect so well. "Well, I'm glad that things worked out. I would've never been able to guess that you two were once enemies." She admitted.

"Heh...yah. But anyways, that's why I came to you. The reason he turned out like that was because something happened between him and his father. Instead of getting help, he just kept things in, you know?"

Caroline's brow furrowed, "What happened between them?" She asked, "If you don't mind telling me?"

Lucas didn't answer. He realized that Ness never actually told him about it. He turned to face Ness, who was staring intently at the ground with a troubled expression, hands clasped and legs drawn tightly together. "Ness?" He prompted, nudging him slightly.

"Wow, um...heh..." Ness gave an uncomfortable laugh, "It's been a while since anyone asked about it..."

"We're here to listen." Lucas assured.

"My job is to help, Ness." Caroline reminded, "But I can't if I don't know what's going on, okay?"

Ness only nodded in response. He brushed his hair out of his eyes, took a deep breath, and began.

"I was probably...nine? Ten? All I know was that I was in the fifth grade. I'm sure you know my dad and...his position." He guessed.

"Yes, he's done a lot of good for this city, I've heard." Caroline said.

"Heh, yeah. Anyways, I think the whole thing started when he won the election. I was excited as hell, I mean, who wouldn't be? Having your dad be the mayor of the town is pretty much every kid's dream, and here I was living it. Needless to say, uh...I started to get a little cocky." Ness admitted.

"That is very common in youth who have considerably 'important' families," Caroline remarked, "Was this when you started to pick on other students, or...?"

"No, I was just a little arrogant, that's all. Through the months after the election, my dad was never home. And I'm not exaggerating; he was never home. He'd leave for weeks on end and come home for like, two days." Ness said, a hint of bitterness in his voice, "And when he came home, he was never in a good mood. He wasn't mean or anything, he was just a little neglectful, you know? My mom kept telling me that he couldn't help it; he was just too stressed."

"Is your mom caring towards you?" Caroline asked.

"Well..." Ness pondered a bit, "She loves us, that's for sure. Ask Lucas, my mom is awesome. But she's a little neglectful too, you could say. She's a really important woman, yeah? She's the principal of our school, she's super busy. So you can see the problem. I'm sure she's trying, but...she forgets. A lot. With both my parents constantly doing things, me and my little sister had to kinda take care of ourselves."

"Has this been hard?"

"It  _was_ , but we've pretty much gotten used to it. Anyways, like I said, my dad was never home. But one night...I remember, it was two thirty in the morning, because I remember looking at the clock. My sister needed some water, and our mom wasn't home either, so I went to the kitchen to get her some. I remember it was raining, really hard. And I remember hearing the door close really loud. I knew it was my dad." Ness explained, "And I didn't get it back then, but now, when I look back on it, you could tell he'd been drinking. A  _lot._ "

"And was this a normal thing for him?"

"Actually, no. He told me he had quit a long time ago, but I guess that maybe the stress was too much on him, and he broke. I went up to him, and I noticed that he was walking all weird, and he was staring at the ground, and I was scared. So I said 'Hi, Dad' to maybe snap him out of it. I didn't get an answer, so I said it again. Still, no answer. He didn't even put his stuff away like he usually did; he just kinda took it with him to the kitchen. I said something like, 'Dad, are you okay?' or whatever. This time he answered, with 'Yes'. I remember he sounded really annoyed and angry. He wasn't yelling or anything, he was just really scary at that point. I got a bad feeling, and a little voice in the back of my head told me to get outta there. But I stayed."

Lucas continued to listen intently to his friend's story. " _He's really getting into detail..._ " He thought, solemnly. Ness must've remembered this a lot more vividly than he should have.

"I think I tried talking to him a few more times, and I got an answer each time, but it got even more forced and irritated. Eventually, I put my hand on his arm, and he-" Ness paused. He cleared his senses. He counted to ten. He drew in a shaky breath, "My mom always told me that back when my dad still drank, on the days where he was just completely plastered, he'd get really mad, really easily. And when he did this, he'd throw whatever he had in his hands at you. This wasn't so bad, because at first, it was just his jacket, his bag. I was terrified, because my parent was basically attacking me, but he didn't actually hurt me just yet. It was a total mess; I was trying to calm him down, he was just loosing his shit at me, and then he ran out of things to throw. So, he grabbed the nearest thing to use." Ness suddenly trailed off.

"What was it?" Lucas murmured from beside him. Caroline was furiously scribbling in her clipboard.

"...A jar." Ness replied, "No hesitation whatsoever, he just...chucked this massive Mason jar right at me. I dodged, but it still hit the fridge behind me. And that thing fucking shattered right next to my head. I looked right up at him, and he looked at me, and then he just...left. I can remember seeing how terrified he looked. He stared at me for a solid three seconds before just bolting out of there. I don't know where he went, probably to a motel. But Jesus Christ...I got cut. All over the god damn place, there was blood. My face got the worst damage. Most of the scars are gone, but you can still see a few right around here." He traced his jawline, pointing out dozens of tiny, faint white marks.

" _So that's where those came from..._ " Lucas thought. He'd noticed them once or twice, but had brushed them off multiple times.

"Did you get the help you needed?" Asked Caroline, her eyes solemn.

"Yeah. I went to my neighbor's, and they called 911. When they asked me what happened, I couldn't seem to tell them that my dad was the one who did it. If I did, he might loose his job, or get a bad reputation. So I kept quiet and said that I dropped a jar. They got me all patched up."

"And could you tell me about the aftermath, perhaps? What did your father say about it after the whole ordeal?"

"...Nothing." Ness shrugged and carried on, "It was as if it never happened. The next time he came home, he came with his usual class, you know? He didn't apologize, he didn't even mention it. I didn't either; he just went about our lives and never resolved it. I don't even think he remembered what he did, to be honest. He was so shitfaced that night, and...look, altogether, it was never mentioned again. Tracy was super young at that point, so she doesn't even know it happened. My mom doesn't know it happened, because I just told her it was an accident on my behalf. And my dad...well, he just signed me up for all these classes, all of a sudden. Mondays, it was dance. Tuesdays, it was Martial Arts. Wednesdays, it was music...and so on and so forth. Just constant courses in anything he could find. I mean, at least nowadays, I'm pretty multi-talented." He laughed a bit, "But I don't know why he did it."

"Perhaps he does remember, and he doesn't want to face it." Caroline suggested, "Do you think that maybe he was too afraid to see you at home? You mentioned that he looked scared after the whole ordeal happened. Maybe he was guilty, and he didn't want to face you."

"Hah, as if that man could be sorry about anything whatsoever..." Ness shook his head, "He sure wasn't sorry when he threw me outta the house, I'll tell you what."

"Dear me," Caroline's eyes widened, and she became alert, "Do we need to call someone?"

"What? Oh, nonononono, I'm eighteen. Don't worry. Plus, it was half him kicking me out, half me willingly leaving. So, uh...yah. It's fine, I'm living with a really good friend of mine." Ness told her, slightly nudging Lucas, who smiled at him.

"Okay, just making sure. So, do you think this event was the breaking point for you?" Caroline asked.

"Yeah. After that, I just locked up. You see, the thing is, I was never really disciplined. I pretty much got away with anything as a kid, and the most I'd ever gotten from my parents was a 'Don't do that again'. But of course, I'd do the thing again, and I was off the hook. So having my dad randomly attack me like that was...different. I wasn't used to it at all, so I just retreated into myself and didn't talk to anyone for weeks. And you know the rest." Ness leaned back, looking outside the window nearby.

"Did friends or family ever try to help you out, in any way?"

Ness perked up, a bit troubled with his answer, "Well, uh...no, but..." He trailed off.

"Do you think that if your friends had reached out to you at the time, things would have been different?" Caroline asked him. Ness paused and turned to Lucas, who had the same debating expression.

"Maybe." Ness shrugged, "I mean, they tried to at first, but then I lashed out at one of 'em, and they never talked to me again after that."

"You seemed very hesitant with that answer. Why?"

"...I...I don't want to blame them. All of this, it's my fault. They don't deserve any blaming for any of it."

There was quiet for a moment.

"What I'd suggest..." Caroline suddenly began, "...Is to think of it as more of a butterfly effect kind of thing. It wasn't exactly their fault, but it was the changed wind to your eventual hurricane. Not the reason, but a factor. Does that make sense?"

"Mmhmm. I think so."

After that, everything went smoother. Ness didn't feel nearly as cooped up and uncomfortable as he did before. He actually felt...free. He could tell this woman whatever he needed to tell her, and she would never tell a soul. And so, he did. He told her about himself; what he liked, what he thought about life, everything. He told her about his aspiring sports career, and how he wanted to be a professional baseball player when he grew up. He told her about his relationship with his sister, and about his friends. With Lucas' permission, he even told her about what had happened behind the school that one day.

By the time the meeting had ended, Ness didn't feel perfectly okay, but he felt lighter. He felt like a huge weight had been taken off his chest. After telling Caroline about all his little insecurities that he'd been too scared to admit before, and not have her judge them, he felt satisfied with himself. He had an overwhelming sense of safety.

He also felt much closer to Lucas at this point. His friend had been there to hear everything. He definitely knew a lot more about him now, that was for sure.

Just as quickly as they had arrived, the two friends eventually left. Lucas gave Caroline a quick hug before murmuring his goodbyes and thanks. Ness, in an attempt to show his thanks and respect, attempted to pay Caroline full price, but she politely refused, offering him a discount due to his friendship with Lucas. They said their farewells, and before they knew it, they were back out on the sidewalk, slowly making their way back to the car.

For a while, it was silent, until Lucas decided to speak up.

"So?" He said,"How do you feel?"

Ness took a moment to think of an answer. He could use a lot of words, but he could only find the ability to say one.

"Good." He said, looking up at the leafy greens above him, "Do you think...we could see her again?"

Lucas smiled in satisfaction.

"Sure."

* * *

Claus, Lucas, Paula, and Ness had decided to hang out a bit before classes started.

The twins were constantly together now, to make sure that the events from the past week wouldn't repeat. Both were still pretty affected, and still very disappointed in themselves. But things seemed to be going fine. Lucas was happy to be living with his brother again. Though there was still a sense of tension every now and then, they were making up slowly, but surely.

The bell of the nearby Tim Horton's rang as they stepped in, Claus leading the way. The store was practically empty, save for a few other people who had the misfortune of having to get up early.

Claus whistled a bit, to grab the attention of the current cashier working at the time; Ninten.

Ninten looked up, and locked eyes with Claus, narrowing them and hunching his shoulders threateningly.

"Aye!" Ninten called from behind the counter, "Do my eyes betray me, or am I truly looking at a _filthy Starbuckian_  trespassing in this territory?" He dramatically snarled, with an over exaggerated accent. Claus played along.

"I beseech thee, rival Tim Hortan!" He replied, "A suppliant at your feet, I kneel...I come in urgent need!" He walked forwards. The three others watched, amused. This happened every time.

"What in this world could scum like you be wanting in my perfect land?" Ninten responded, raising an eyebrow.

"You see, my lord, there is something your company possesses that mine does not." Claus approached the counter and slammed both hands down, "I am in need of an Iced Capp, or I will freaking die." With his last sentence, he had returned to his normal voice.

"I think I can do that, Hun" Ninten laughed, returning to his usual demeanor as well, "How 'bout you guys?" He asked the other three. They all took turns ordering.

"Sooo...do I get a  _discount?_ " Claus asked, looking at Ninten through lowered eyelashes, his shoulders raised in an attempt to look cutesy. Behind him, Ness rolled his eyes.

"Depends," Ninten casually said, "Do you have a  _coupon?_ " He murmured.

With two fingers, Claus reached into his shirt pocket and flicked out a white piece of paper, a smug smile on his face. Ninten took it and inspected the 'coupon', his eyes widening for a quick moment, before he smiled and tapped out a few things on the register. He mocked a gasp.

"You get...wait, what? This must be a really good coupon! 100% off?!" He breathed, handing the paper back to Claus.

" _Christ, they're fucking gross._ " Muttered Ness, causing Lucas to stifle a very obvious laugh and nearly spit out the water he was drinking.

As the four of them waited for their orders to be completed, Lucas turned to his brother.

"Was that really a coupon?" Lucas asked. Claus sighed and handed him the small clip of paper. Lucas unfolded it, and couldn't help but groan when he saw the single word written in red pen:

' _Prom?_ '

"You smooth fucker!" Paula exclaimed, when she examined the paper.

"Usually I hate the whole 'Promposal' thing, but yeah. This is pretty clever." Ness admitted.

"What is it with everyone hating Prom? It's such a nice time!" Lucas said, crossing his arms.

"It's  _groooosss!_ " Ness told him.

"Hush, you've never even gone! Only Seniors can go!" Lucas protested. Ness shook his head.

"Wrong! I've gone Freshman  _and_  Sophomore year. If you get asked to prom by a Senior, you can go." Ness explained, "Plus, even if you don't get asked by a Senior, everyone just sneaks in anyways. Trust me, Prom is just...gross."

"Well, I'm going, no matter what you say. I think it sounds  _nice._ " Lucas decided, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"And just who do you think you're going with?" Paula asked. She took notice of his somewhat bashful expression, and nudged him, "Come  _ooooon_ , Lucas! Who's the lucky guy? Who're you asking?"

"No one, I'm not telling!" Lucas muttered, turning away sheepishly.

"Great, now you've made us curious." Claus groaned.

Suddenly, Ninten rounded the corner, changed back into his school uniform. In his hands, he held a cardboard cup holder which held everyone's order.

"Okay! My shift's done, so now we can walk to the hellhole." Ninten said, throwing away the holder once everyone had grabbed their drink. He locked hands with Claus and sent him a smug look, touching his forehead to Claus'. "Yes." He murmured.

They were interrupted by Ness making an obnoxious gagging sound.

"You wanna  _go_ , Ness?" Threatened Ninten, playfully.

"Right now! Let's go! Let's take it outside the school, where people will film it!" Ness said, playing along.

"You guys seem to be getting along." Said Lucas, "How's living together? Have either of you snapped yet?"

"It's been going surprisingly well, I'd say. How 'bout you, Ultra?" Asked Ninten.

"Same. We're bros." Ness agreed.

"Well, I'm glad." Paula remarked, "You two were constantly at each other's throats back then, it's nice to see you guys finally getting along nicely."

By the time the four of them had made it to the school, they still had about thirty minutes before classes started. Paula, Ninten, and Claus all left to take a retest, so Lucas and Ness said their 'See you later's' and made their way upstairs, where their lockers were. Ness' locker was only a few units away from Lucas', so they casually chatted whilst gathering their things.

Suddenly, Lucas was alerted by a flowery scent wafting nearby. He glanced up, and found himself facing a pair of girls he recognized from Claus' culinary class. They were both smiling.

"Oh!" Lucas jumped a bit, startled, "Hi, girls, uh...can I help you?" Ness had gained interest, and approached the situation.

"Hi Lucas!" Said one of the girls, a brunette.

"We have a proposition. You know our friend Nana, right?" Said the other, a blonde.

"Sure, she's Claus' friend. Sweet girl!" Lucas nodded. He definitely knew her. For almost the entire school year, Nana had been hopelessly pining for him.

"Well, um...you'll never guess, but..." The brunette trailed off.

" _Sheeee_...has a pretty massive thing for you." Finished the other one.

"Wow!" Lucas tried to be shocked, "I, uh...I never saw that coming!"

"Right?" Said the brunette.

"Anyways. Did you hear what happened to her?" Asked the blonde. She continued when both Lucas and Ness shook their heads, "Well, she totally flunked math this year. Like, she failed. And her parents are  _insanely_  high standard, right? Get this: Next year, she's going to a  _boarding school_."

Both boys' jaws dropped.

"Are you kidding me?" Gasped Ness.

"Not for a second. It's brutal." Replied the brunette.

"Which is why, um...don't tell her we asked this, but...you know how Prom is coming up, yeah? We were thinking, because she's our friend and all, maybe you could...ask her? Just to make her last year at WPHS a good one?" Begged the other girl.

"Ouch, uh..." Lucas glanced back at Ness, who shrugged. "Gee, I would really love to help, but, uh...I was actually already gonna ask someone else. Plus, the whole concept of a pity date kinda freaks me out."

"Yeah, we figured." Said the first girl, with a defeated sigh.

"We just thought it was worth a try, right? I mean, she totally loves you. You too, Ness! She's got a crush on both of you, she told us. Don't tell her we told you." Said the second girl.

Ness perked up upon hearing this, and stepped forward, "Where is she now?" He asked, eyes glimmering for just a second. The two girls pointed to the end of the hallway, where Nana stood at her locker, texting someone casually. He nodded at them, and began to make his way toward her. Lucas followed.

"Um...Ness?" He whispered, "What're you doing?"

"Just go with it." Ness said. He put a hand on Lucas' shoulder, stopping him. "Stay here."

Nana noticed him approaching, and instantly jumped back, obviously stunned that he was coming towards her. Ness smiled one of his signature half-grins and leaned against the locker beside hers.

"Hey...Nana, is it?" He greeted.

"Y-yeah! That's me! This is weird, you've, like...never talked to me. Like, ever. We've literally gone to the same school ever since Kindergarten, and I don't think you've ever said a word to me. I mean, I don't see why you'd wanna talk to  _me_ , now, but you obviously have something you need to talk about! Well, I am totally all ears!" Nana rambled. Ness paused, to make sure she was finished, then began.

"Uhhh...well! That's...okie dokie!" Ness stammered, unsure of how to respond. He clapped his hands together, "So! You are aware that Prom is coming up..."

"I am!" Nana replied, hands held behind her back.

"You going with anyone?" Ness asked.

"No," Nana said, face dropping, "I never get asked."

"Well, that's funny! Because I was thinking, maybe it would be pretty cool if you went with me." Ness asked.

Nana didn't say anything; she simply froze and stared ahead, mouth open in utter shock. She realized she had to eventually say something, but all she could muster was a bit of a strange squeaking noise, "Oh!" She finally managed to choke out.

"Sooo...?"

"Yes! I mean, no. I mean... _me?_ What's so great about...about...? Ack, I can't talk today, apparently...I guess I'm just a little frazzled! I mean,  _it's not like you're the most popular boy at school_  or anything...!" Nana awkwardly stuttered. "We're both Juniors, though!"

"Do you remember who I am, Nana?"

"Oh, right. Heheh! Um...what I really, really mean to say altogether is...yes. I'd, um...I'd love to go. With you. To Prom. This isn't a trick, is it? It's not gonna be the whole 'Carrie' scenario? Where everyone ridicules me after I get named prom queen and I kill everyone? I mean, not that I would ever kill anyone. That would be kinda weird. Well, I guess  _weird_  is a bit of an understatement."

As Nana continued to talk, Ness turned over his shoulder and cast a smug grin at Lucas, who was frantically mouthing ' _Why?!_ ' with over the top hand gestures. Thankfully, the bell rang, and Nana shut her locker.

"So...that's a yes?" Ness asked.

"Yes!" Replied Nana, her face depicting the definition of happiness.

"Nice. I guess I'll see you later." Ness said, as he turned around and approached Lucas, who's face had a look of what could only be described as " _What the fuck._ "

"What the hell was-" Lucas began to say, before he was cut off.

"Ssssh." Ness hissed. He counted one, two, three on his fingers, before pointing behind him. At that instant, a very audible group of excited shrieks rang through the hall, signifying that Nana had just broken the news to her friends. He rolled his shoulders confidently.

"You wanna tell me why you just asked some random girl to Prom? You heard her, you've never even said a word to her!" Lucas whisper-cried, visibly and audibly very upset.

"Chillax! Nana's a nice girl, I actually kinda wanna go with her. Besides, she's totally obsessed with me. If this is her last year at WPHS, might as well make it a good one, right?" Ness shrugged, hoisting his backpack up on to his shoulder. Lucas shook his head.

"You're going back to your old self, huh?" He grinned.

"What do you mean?"

"Overly confident, self centered," Lucas teased.

"Yeah, yeah, okay, let's drop it." Replied Ness, as the two of them weaved their way through the crowd of students. They entered their usual English classroom, and sat down next to each other at their usual desks. Lucas seemed a little more quiet than he usually was. Ness noticed this, "You okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright, you just seem...suddenly really quiet. Is there anything going on between you and Claus?"

"No, it's okay. Everything's okay." Lucas smiled, assuring Ness that he was fine. Ness shrugged and returned to taking his things out of his backpack.

"If you say so."

* * *

It was a Friday, and it was a spare period. The sun was out, but a cool breeze still blew, so it wasn't too hot, but wasn't too cold either. Just as they always did on Friday spares, most of the friend group had retreated outside into the courtyard to take in the fresh air. They sat near the large school gate, which had a sign perched on top that cast a shadow, which shielded the students from sunlight.

Paula, Kumatora, Ninten, Ness, Travis, and Claus all sat in a circle, attempting to play a circle rhythm game, hands set on their knees and overlapping one another.

"Okay, here we go. Ready?" Ninten cued, "Five, six, seven, eight..."

" _Stella ella ola, tap, tap, t-_ " They had all started singing, but the game was quickly lost by Ness, who was unable to high five Ninten's hand in time. Every groaned.

" _Neeeessss!_  You messed it up again!" Kumatora laughed. "I think we're done."

With a few murmurs of agreement, the circle disbanded. Ness dramatically hung his head.

"Sorry." He said, snickering. He casually laid back against the brick post of the school gate, looking up to the sky and closing his eyes to rest them. The others attempted the game again, but over the sounds of their chanting, Ness could hear footsteps. He'd memorized the sound of those footsteps, and knew who was coming before he even saw him, "Hey, Lucas." He called.

"Hi!" Replied Lucas, sitting down on his knees and putting his bag to the side, not seeing Ness sit up, his eyes wide. "So I've gotta tell you about-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. What the hell?" Ness asked, inspecting Lucas. Lucas got a concerned look on his face, looking himself up and down.

"What?"

"Your  _voice!_ " Ness pointed out, "When did it get that  _deep?!_ "

Lucas laughed, relieved that nothing was actually wrong with him. In the past two weeks, his unforgiving vocal chords had finally decided to cut him some slack and deepen.

"Surprise! I don't sound like a preteen girl anymore!" He playfully replied.

"From a stunning mezzo soprano to a lovely tenor." Ninten said, patting Lucas on the shoulder and smirking proudly.

"But what about the show? Won't they have to recast you?" Ness asked. He'd been surprisingly interested in the show lately; he'd attended almost every rehearsal for the past months

"There's no time. We go up in less than a month, we don't have an understudy, and no girls gonna wanna learn such an important part in that little time. We talked to our director this morning; she just threw up her hands and didn't do anything. Cosette's a dude, now." Ninten presented, laughing.

"Gay Les Mis!" Added Lucas, flashing some jazz hands. Ness shrugged and leaned back again.

"Alright. Sounds good to me, I guess." He said. There was silence for a while, and he lifted his head once more to see what had happened. He glanced quizzically at his friends, one eyebrow raised. All of them grinned at him with a smug expression, "Umm...guys?" He said with a nervous laugh.

"We've heard through the grape vine that, uh...Nessie got lucky, huh?" Kumatora slurred. Ness went red and turned away bashfully.

"Aww, he's getting flustered! Our Ness with his prom date. Nana's quite the lucky girl, isn't she?" Asked Paula, resting her chin in her hands.

"I wouldn't say 'lucky', I mean...heh..." Ness said, trailing off.

"You  _like_  her!" Insisted Claus, a devious smirk on his face.

Ness simply hid his now crimson face in his hoodie as the others all sang a dramatic cover of "My Heart Will Go On". Lucas was the only one who didn't join in; he simply put a hand on Ness' shoulder and laughed a bit.

"Come oooon, let them have their fun." He said, "You  _do_  like her, don't you?"

Ness peeked up from his hoodie and sighed, "Okay, fine, maybe a little." He muttered playfully.

"She's a sweet girl, I can see why you're interested." Lucas said. "By the way, I've decided that after school today, you and I are going shopping."

"You can't just decide that, come on!" Ness laughed, straightening up.

"I just did! We're going tux shopping. I need the help and honesty of my best buddy." Lucas said.

"Wait...if you're tux shopping..." Ness suddenly brought up, "That means you're going with someone!"

The other friends instantly crowded Lucas with questions. He backed up, shocked that he'd accidentally let the secret slip out. He shook his head.

"No! No, I told you, I'm not telling! Besides, even if I did tell you, you guys would be pissed." Lucas denied, putting an end to the conversation by pulling out his phone and diverting his attention to it.

Although many group members exchanged concerned glances, the decided not to pursue it further.

* * *

"Alright! Show me!"

Ness leaned forwards on the cushioned stool and rested his elbows on his thighs. Lucas bashfully poked his head from behind a door; the door to the changing stall of the formal wear shop they currently sat in.

The beautiful weather from earlier that day had done a complete 180; the skies were now grey and rain violently pelted sideways due to the harsh winds blowing. That didn't stop Lucas from practically dragging Ness to the student parking lot through the storm and taking refuge in his car, where he eventually convinced Ness to drive them both to the small corner shop. Ness, as usual, pretended to be completely uninterested, but was actually enjoying spending time with his friend. Seeing him so excited about Prom was surprisingly uplifting.

Lucas emerged, looking himself over in a nearby mirror. He was wearing a sleek, neat white tuxedo, complimented by a purple dress shirt and the classic black tie. He looked back over his shoulder at Ness, unsure.

"I like it." Ness said. Lucas pouted.

"You've said that every single time!" He replied, playfully.

"That's because I've liked it every single time!" Ness said back, crossing one leg over the other.

"Mmm...I dunno about this one. I like it, but..." Lucas paused, turning around and examining how it looked from the back, "...It's a little extra."

"Good!  _Be_  extra. Show that you're the best." Ness suggested. "To be completely honest, I like this one the best. I think you should do it."

Lucas thought a little bit more. He perked up, getting an idea.

"Here, uh..." He shrugged off the top layer and carefully draped it over a nearby chair. This revealed a simple white vest. "I think the sport coat's a little much. I think I'll go with this."

"Sounds good to me." Ness said, "Now, since I just helped you for half an hour...?"

Lucas rolled his eyes. "You wanna know who I asked." He guessed. Ness only nodded, scooting to the side and patting the area on the chair next to him. Lucas, who knew that Ness was only gonna keep bringing it up, shrugged and sighed, trudging over and sitting down.

"So?" Began Ness.

"...So...uh..." Lucas said, "...You're not gonna like it."

"I can take it, go ahead! I won't tell anyone."

"Fine! Um...so, do you know that guy?"

"Oh yeah, that one guy, with the face, and the legs. Good choice." Ness said sarcastically, receiving a jab in the ribs by Lucas' elbow.

"You know what I mean!" Lucas snickered, "...So, you know that...Ryan guy?"

Ness instantly doubled over and groaned, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Lucaaaaaaaas!" He muttered, gripping at his hair. He was being half playful, half sincere.

"I know! I know, I make _terrible relationship decisions!_ " Lucas replied, in a mocking nasal tone.

"Yeah, no kidding! He's ditched you...what, three times now? Why are you even dating him? He never talks to you, he never makes an effort to see you..." Ness ranted, counting down on his fingers. "He gives an inch when you give miles, Lucas!"

"I'll admit he's sketchy, but he's nice! When we do hang out, he treats me very well."

"Nice is not the same as good, Lucas. I'm not trying to tell you how to live your life, but...please be careful. I'm gonna keep telling you that."

Lucas nodded, giving Ness an affectionate smile, grateful for his concern.

"I will be." He murmured, before jokingly poking Ness' arm, "And you'd better be careful with Nana, yeah? Try not to sweep her off her feet _too_  much."

They shared a short period of laughter, followed by a much longer period of silence, only filled by the buzzing of the lights above and the rain hitting the roof and the windows. The bright inside of the small, empty shop contrasted against the blackened outside, giving Lucas a safe feeling. He turned his head slightly, peeking at Ness, who stared at the floor with a mellow smile.

" _Probably thinking about her,_ " Lucas thought, " _What a cute little crush he's got._ " He nudged his friend a bit, and with a slight jerk of his head, he motioned for him to get up, "We can go now," He said, "You're free."

Ness only responded with a dramatic flourish, draping his hand over his face. "Finally!" He jokingly breathed. "Pleasure to be at your service, master."

Lucas pretended to look hurt, but couldn't hold in his burst of giggles.

"That just sounded weird!" He snickered.

"Sorry," Ness cleared his throat, "Pleasure to be at your service,  _daddy._ "

" _Nesley Dale Wyman!_ " Lucas nearly shrieked, swatting at Ness' arm, trying to hold in his uncontrollable laughter. "Jesus. Only you, Ness. Only you."

* * *

The school musical opened in less than a week, and the entire drama program was increasing in anticipation. Tech students rushed to build the set and fix the lights, others struggled to sell tickets, and the actors themselves were at their wit's end. Now that their main female lead was no longer a female, the stress was only rising.

One person who didn't expect to be wrapped up in the whole thing was Ness.

Ness often didn't enjoy going home after school, and always looked for excuses to delay it. For the past two months, he'd been attending the rehearsals. He'd practically been accepted as a member of the crew, even though he didn't do anything in particular.

That is, except for being used as the ever so famous crew member, "guy-who-plays-Marius-when-Ninten-is-being-a-little-bitch" guy, named by Kumatora.

Whenever Ninten was unable to be there, whether he was sick or busy, Ness was used as his 'understudy', of sorts, due to the fact that they were of similar body structure and height. Also, Ness conveniently had most of the soundtrack memorized because Les Mis was one of Tracy's favourites, and he'd been subjected to watch it multiple times, and had also been forced into singing all the male parts where Tracy would handle the female parts.

It had been two days after Ness and Lucas had gone shopping, and Ninten was unfortunately absent due to a doctor's appointment. Thus, Ness had to pull himself up and get up on set. While he pretended to be disinterested, he couldn't help but have fun with it.

He now stood below a short platform where Lucas sat, casually draped over a prop rock. The two of them were running over a scene without too much effort; only running through the movements so that the technical crew could figure out lighting.

" _A single look, and then I kneeeewwww..._ " Ness, in a monotone voice, sang through the lyric. He dramatically rested a hand over his heart and the other on Lucas' hand.

" _I knew it tooooo..._ " Lucas replied in the same deadpan voice.

The director raised her arms, signaling a cut so that she could take down notes. The actors currently onstage released their positions and relaxed. Ness ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

"Jesus, I'm gonna have  _that_  song running through my head all day. It doesn't help that Ninten is constantly singing this at home." He breathed.

"You know you love it. Also, don't tell Ninten, but I kinda like the way you sing it better than he does." Lucas said, crossing one leg over the other.

" _Whaaaat?_  Have you forgotten that Ninten's literally  _professionally trained?_ " Ness replied, casually leaning against the setpiece.

"Um, so were  _you_! Voice classes for seven years really show, Ness. You've got this nice, silvery little voice. Ninten's a  _liiitle_  too operatic." Lucas admitted.

"Gee, I'm nothing special." Ness bashfully turned away, secretly loving the compliment.

"Alright, we're gonna run through with music this time!" The director suddenly called, "Play as if you were onstage! You too, Ness." She said in a somewhat teasing voice. The other students chuckled a bit as Ness rolled his eyes with a small grin on his face.

With that, the rehearsal pianist started plunking away, and Ness managed to put on a relatively serious face. Following the stage direction, he glanced up at Lucas, who leaned over and rested his chin on his hand, looking at him through love-struck eyes. It took every inch of physical strength Ness had to stop himself from winking. This time, having been somewhat motivated by Lucas' compliment, he put in much more emotion and passion into the music. Although he was no professional singer, he tried his best to copy what Ninten did. He tried to put vibration in his voice like his roommate did, and surprised himself with how nice that sounded. Even Lucas seemed to snap out of character for a brief second.

Still following the blocking, Lucas lightly dropped down from the platform, still gently holding Ness' hand and taking small, slow steps towards him.

" _How the hell does Ninten do this with a straight face?!_ " Ness thought, " _Fuuuck, I'm gonna screw it up..."_

Lucas, finishing up his last lyric, gingerly touched his forehead to Ness' and keep his gaze locked on him. Ness, at this point, was a complete disaster. At least, mentally, he was. They'd practiced this scene together many times, but had never taken it seriously. He'd also seen Ninten and Lucas do this scene, but it was a lot harder than it looked to not break down into a hot, blushy mess.

And then came  _that_  scene. The conveniently placed kiss scene.

Lucas had probably guessed that Ness wasn't doing so well at the moment, and took the scene into his own hands. He slowly blinked, as if assuring his friend that none of this was real and that it was alright, before slowly moving his head forward.

" _Holy shit, fuck, fuck, fuck, oh my god,_ " A million words ran through Ness' mind, " _I can do this, I mean, I've kissed him before. Then again, we weren't exactly sober, but that's okay, right? It's pretty much the same._ " He assured himself. When he'd watched Lucas and Ninten run through this part, it seemed to go by so seamlessly, without any struggle. Why would this be any different?

Then, when the two of them couldn't get even a millimeter closer together without some sort of lip contact, the director called cut.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, thank you!" Ness gasped, backing up a few feet. Lucas also seemed to be relieved, as he tugged at the collar of his shirt nervously.

"Sorry that was so...awkward." Lucas snickered a bit.

"That's, uh...that's okay! Heh...Ooooh, boy..."

The director called a fifteen minute break. Both boys made their way to the front row of seats, where their backpacks and other belongings sat. Many other students around them smugly glanced at them every once in a while. Paula, Ana, and Tony, who were all in the chorus, approached them.

"Well, well, well, that was disappointing. I really wanted to see you two kiss." Taunted Paula. Lucas pretended to glare at her, but sent her a quick smirk as well.

"Yah, not gonna happen, Princess." Ness said, "Where the hell is Ninten? Didn't he say he'd be back by six? It is very much six O'clock, and he is not-"

"Ultra-Vi? Cupcake? Holy crap, I saw the whole thing," Speak of the devil, it was Ninten, who was excitedly making his way down the aisle between the seats, "That was beautiful."

"You just had to sit and watch, didn't you?" Sneered Tony, playfully rolling his eyes.

"But in all seriousness, isn't Ness  _so_  fantastic?" Asked Lucas, tugging on Ninten's arm.

"Uh, yes? Ness, why didn't you tell me you had such a sweet little voice? Very, very nice tenor you've got." Ninten gushed. Ness glanced at the floor sheepishly, and shrugged. Ninten's eyes lit up, "You'd be a pretty good Marius, you know that?"

Ness shrunk further into himself, unable to handle all the praise. The others all responded in agreement to Ninten's comment.

"I guess I'll go up there and pretend to be you, huh? Like an understudy or something." Ness replied, jokingly. He'd expected for the others to laugh in response, but he got a very different reaction than what he was hoping for.

"You know what?" Lucas was the first to speak, his face full of excitement. "That's a good idea!"

"Yah!" Said Ana, "Go on, be his understudy!

"Do iiiiitt..." Paula added.

"You guys, come on. Why would I do that? He's already got two other understudies." Ness crossed his arms.

"Why not? Better safe than sorry, yeah? What if I die, and what if my backups die? No one will be able to play the role, which is where you'll come in." Ninten said.

"That's not gonna  _happen._ " Ness replied.

"Don't jinx it! It just might, you never know! Come on, Ness!" Tony said. "You know all of the music, you know pretty much all of the stage directions, why not give it a go?"

"One of us! One of us! One of us!" Paula began chanting, eventually being joined by everyone else except for Ness. He struggled to keep a calm expression, showing that he wasn't phased. However, the chanting eventually got so intense that he finally threw up his arms.

"Alright!" He exclaimed, "Alright, I'll do it. But only to get you guys to stop talking, okay?"

His friends all cheered, and Ninten wrapped his arms around Ness and tightly squeezed him.

"Yaaaaaay! Let's go talk to the director! Ness is in the shoooowww!"

As his friends dragged him over to the director, Ness only followed along in a deadpan, uninterested state. While he appreciated their enthusiasm, there was no way that all three actors already cast to play the role would all be unavailable. That was just too much of a coincidence.

This kind of thing only happened in fictional romance stories, where it was convenient to the plot. There was no way it could really happen.

* * *

Claus and Lucas were filled with the utmost excitement, as just two hours later, the most amazing night of their life would finally come.

A week earlier, Ness had agreed to join the cast of the school musical as the understudy for Ninten. Lucas was excited about that, but even that couldn't compare to the euphoria he felt knowing that prom was that night.

Claus waited in the living area, running a lint roller over the traditional black suit he'd decided to wear. The sound of Lucas' footsteps alerted him, and he looked up. A smile crossed his face upon seeing his twin dressed up. He walked over to him, arms outstretched.

"Awwww, Lucas..." He cooed, "Look at you. So handsome." He gently pinched Lucas' cheek.

"Claus, come on..." Lucas bashfully averted eye contact and shrugged away his hand.

"Let me gush! That boyfriend of yours is gonna be stunned." Claus insisted. He backed up a few steps, and twirled around a bit. "How's this very unique set up?"

"Traditionally trendy." Lucas commented. He pulled out his phone, checking the time, "When's Ninten gonna get here? He  _is_  driving us, yeah?"

"Yep. We figured out how to get in, too. We found this senior couple and got them to pretend that each of them was going with each of us, and once we're in, me and Ninten are free. It's a little technique I like to call 'teenage rebellion.'" Claus proudly crossed his arms, "Anyways, your boy's a senior, yeah? You should be okay."

"We're all set!" Lucas looked down at his phone, which had just vibrated, "Aaaand, there's Ninten's text. Let's go!"

Within minutes, the twins had practically sprinted down the hallway and burst through the fronts doors onto the street. Of course, Ninten was already waiting a few feet away. Once he glanced up and caught sight of Claus, he made sure to ham everything up.

"Oh...my god..." Ninten gasped, dropping to his knees and putting his hands over his mouth. "I'm having an actual heart attack. Oh my...oh my goodness..."

"Ninten, doooon't!" Claus turned the other direction, embarrassed. Ninten stood up and hugged Claus from behind.

" _This is my boyfriend!_ " He cried, making sure that everyone around them heard, "This is _my_  boyfriend! This guy!"

"For god's sake..." Claus laughed, "Can we just get in the car?"

"Right after I get the news crew to come over here and put you on TV." Ninten smirked.

" _Get in the car!_ " Claus, giggling uncontrollably, pushed Ninten by the shoulders over to the beat up truck nearby. Lucas only followed, amused by the whole ordeal. The three of them piled into the red leather seats, Claus sitting up at the front next to Ninten, and Lucas enjoying the room in the back. Ninten turned on the radio and played an old school rock album, and the three of them loudly sang along as they drove towards the school.

Along the way, Lucas wondered how Ness was doing.

"He outta be at Nana's by now," Lucas thought, "I bet he's ecstatic."

* * *

As Nana stepped out of her front door, Ness was ecstatic.

She was wearing a short, tight fitting white dress that hugged her figure, accented with sequins and lace. She looked fantastic compared to Ness' simple navy suit. He felt his heartbeat quicken. Ever since he'd asked Nana weeks ago, a simple crush had transitioned into a serious like-like.

"H-hey! Nana!" Ness breathed, searching for words. All he could muster was, " _...Wow._ "

"Aww, heh...hi, Ness." Nana grinned, walking up to him. "Are you sure I look okay? I really hope this isn't too much...or maybe it isn't enough? I don't know! It's very simple, I don't want to under-dress...then again, you're very simple, people won't even know we're going together! That's no problem. Do you think I should go change? Are you gonna go change at all?"

Her last comment was a little off to Ness, "Huh?"

"Are you sure you don't have anything else? I mean, yeah, you look amazing, as usual. But for someone so popular, wouldn't you wanna be a little more eye-catching?"

"Oh. Well, I didn't really wanna go with too much." Ness said, brushing the comment off, "You ready?"

After suffering through Nana's parents taking what felt like fifty photos, the pair were on their way. Due to how close Nana lived to the school, they chose to walk rather than drive. Ness attempted to start a conversation without sounding too awkward, and trying to maintain his usual confident attitude. As usual, Nana would take complete control over the conversation, but Ness didn't mind too much. Hearing her ramble on about what she was excited about was actually kind of cute.

Finally, they reached the school, where a large amount of students had already gathered. Although the event actually started at eight, they had planned to arrive early so that they could spend some time with some of their other friends.

After scanning the crowd, Ness managed to locate the familiar red hair of Claus. He took Nana's hand and pointed. "Over there!" He led her to the spot, and came to meet Claus, Ninten, Lucas, and someone Ness didn't recognize.

"Hey, guys!" Ness greeted. He smiled at Lucas, seeing him in the outfit they had picked together. Everyone exchanged the usual hellos, except for the unfamiliar boy, who stood silently. He had porcelain skin, piercing blue eyes, and redish-brownish hair that was obviously dyed. Ness observed him, confused, until he saw that he was holding Lucas' hand. Ness' eyes narrowed.

This was Ryan.

"Oh, Ness! You haven't met Ryan yet!" Lucas suddenly realized, gesturing for Ness to say something.

"Ah, no, I, uh...I haven't. Hey." Ness reluctantly shook his hand. Ryan gave a side smile and brushed his bangs out of his face. Something about the way he moved and how he looked did not seem right. That, and he was a good few inches taller than Ness, who was pretty tall himself.

"So you're the one and only Ness, huh? This little cutie's told me a  _lot_  about you, man." He said, his voice low and honeyed. The way he mentioned Lucas didn't sit well with Ness. He made a mental note to keep an eye out.

"Really! Wow, uh...cool. Yeah, I was the guy who sat with him when you couldn't show up that one time." Ness said somewhat passive aggressively, referencing the first time Lucas had been asked out. Lucas didn't say anything, he only looked at the ground.

"Oh yeah, that point! Yeah, I was  _gonna_  go? But then I just got so tired, man. Can't always expect me to be there. Lucas understands though, yeah?" Ryan looked down at Lucas, who looked back up at him with a smile.

"Yeah! He was just tired all those times." He said.

"You get it. Mwah." Ryan grinned, kissing the top of Lucas' head. For a split second, he smugly glanced back at Ness through a half closed eye. Ness' entire body tensed.

" _Asshole..._ " He thought, keeping his expression positive. This guy knew Ness didn't like him, and he was loving it, because as long as Lucas was there, there was nothing he could do. Ness kept himself composed, as he knew it was unfair to challenge someone just after meeting them. " _Doesn't stop me from not liking him._ "

When eight O'clock had finally rolled around, the group split. Ness felt a little uneasy by leaving Lucas alone with Ryan, but he decided that he had to trust his friend more than anything. With that, he and Nana said their quick goodbyes and made their way into the school. Lucas watched them go, waving.

"So, this is exciting!" Said Lucas. "You wanna go inside with them?"

"Eh..." Ryan stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I'm not too big on the whole 'dark room, big crowd' thing. I dunno about you, but I'll stay outside."

"Oh," Lucas replied, a little disappointed, "That's okay! Yeah, we can stay out here! It'll be just as fun!"

"Let's just kinda wander, yeah? This school's campus is massive, plenty of room to walk around." Ryan grabbed Lucas' hands and pulled him along playfully.

"Sounds fun to me, heh!" Lucas, who was just excited to be there, followed happily.

* * *

"Eeeeeek! Nana, look at you!  _You look fantastic!_ "

Ness stood to the side of the hallway while Nana caught up with a few of her friends. The group of excited girls shared enthusiastic conversations, and it seemed as if they were all talking over each other.

" _Is this how girls talk?_ " Ness thought to himself, smiling and shaking his head.

"And look at who you managed to get under the arm of." One of Nana's friends approached Ness, looking him up and down. "Aren't you just the luckiest girl at WPHS?"

Nana grinned and took Ness' hand. "The absolute luckiest." She looked up at Ness, who's face went red.

"Aww, come on, I'm luckier." Ness murmured, in the best attempt of flirting he could muster. This proved to be effective, however, as Nana gasped and practically melted, hiding her face in her hands. Ness mentally celebrated; he was doing okay.

"Ness, you absolute _treat!_ " Laughed one of the other girls, who was reaching into her handbag, pulling out her phone, "We have  _got_  to take a picture."

After a few attempts, a decent picture was taken of the four of them crowded together, struggling to keep inside of the frame of the picture. Afterwards, the conversation between the girls resumed, and Ness waited patiently, leaning against a locker. He guessed that it would be the gentlemanly thing to do, and let Nana catch up a little bit. He had plenty of time to spare.

However, plenty of time eventually turned to not as much time as he'd originally hoped for. Not wanting to screw up this time he had with Nana, he simply let her go about her business. They did eventually make their way into the gym, which was filled with people. Ness turned to his side to ask what she wanted to do, but Nana was gone. He glanced around, a bit nervous, before spotting her in the back corner of the gym. He jogged over to her and raised his arm to tap her on the shoulder, but hesitated upon realizing she was wrapped up with another group of people again.

He felt a small sense of frustration, but didn't dare show it. He simply inched his way into the circle of people, observing the conversation and pretending he was part of it.

"So, yeah. All in all, I feel like...the princess of the school right now." Nana said, with a sense of entitlement that hadn't been there before, "Crazy, right? I managed to get a practical  _celebrity._ " She bragged, taking Ness' arm.

The last comment set off a small red flag in the back of Ness' mind. He furrowed his brow and glanced at her, concerned. As usual, she didn't notice. Ness backed up a bit.

"Uhh, Nana?" He rubbed the back of his neck, "I'm, uh...I'm gonna go to the washroom for a few seconds, yeah?" He alerted, jerking his thumb behind him.

"Oh yeah, sure." Nana replied, before instantly turning back around and resuming the conversation.

Ness frowned, but shrugged, turned around, and walked towards the gym exit. It couldn't hurt to take a small break.

* * *

Lucas leaned back against the bark of a willow tree, bursting into uncontrollable giggles.

"Wow, oh my goodness...! I never knew colouring your hair would turn out that disastrous." Lucas snickered, drawing his knees to his chest. Ryan, who was sitting across from him, laughed a bit and crossed his arms.

"Yep, it was an adventure. I had to live with seaweed green hair for a week after that fiasco." He shook his head in amusement. He looked back up at Lucas and scooted a bit forward, "Okay, now your turn."

"Aw, man...you can't know every embarrassing thing that's happened to me!" Lucas said, twirling a bit of his hair around his finger.

"But it's cute! Come on, that story about the time your brother trapped you under a laundry basket for half a day was  _pretty_  funny."

Lucas blushed a little, and glanced down. He felt Ryan's shoes gently brushing against his own. His heart began to beat a little faster.

"Alright, I got one. This one time, me and Ness were hanging out at the mall, right? So we go into this casual clothing store, and I try on a few shirts. No biggie. Turns out, I totally forgot to take one of them off, and I walked right out of the store with it. It wasn't until we were halfway to my apartment when I realized I had basically stolen a shirt, and we had to drive all the way back so I could return it. Definitely humiliating, I tell you what."

"Hah! Wow, you turned down a free shirt." Ryan teased.

"Um, shoplifting is against the  _law,_  thank you very much." Lucas replied, smugly. "I think Ness was even more embarrassed than me, the poor guy."

"Yeah..." Ryan trailed off, letting his head fall casually to the side. He got a bit of a confused look, "Why do you talk about him so much?"

"Who?" Lucas furrowed his brow.

"That Ness kid. You talk about him a  _lot_." Ryan explained.

"Well, we're best friends, I'm mean..." Lucas shrugged, "Is it too obvious?"

"A little bit. You know I'm sitting right here, right?"

"Huh?" Lucas was confused, before realizing what he was hinting at, "Oh, no! Nonononono, it isn't like that! Don't worry, I don't... _like_  him or anything, I promise!" He assured.

"I'm sure you don't." Ryan nodded, satisfied with the answer. Lucas hadn't realized it, but Ryan had been slowly making his way forward until he was right next to him. Lucas felt his face suddenly increase in heat, feeling the other brush up against him.

"Oh! H-hey there! That was quick!" Lucas gave a little bit of a nervous laugh. Ryan smirked, placing his hand on Lucas', and using to other to caress the side of his face.

"You're so cute, you know that?" Ryan murmured, eye-to-eye with Lucas at this point.

"Really...!" Lucas stammered, his voice shaky.

"Mmhmm." Was the hummed reply, before the gap between the two was slowly closed by Ryan.

Lucas' breath hitched, and it seemed as if his whole body went numb. This was much, much different from the  _last_  time he'd kissed someone. This was a lot...rougher. While the last time was experimental, this was real, and Lucas was very much sober this time. He glanced around at the courtyard around him, actually catching sight of the tree where he'd felt this last. He couldn't tell whether he was feeling panic or euphoria. He felt an arm curl around his back and pull him in closer. Not even a pull; a yank, almost. The sudden force brought a surprised yelp from Lucas. Ryan seemed pleased from the response, because he did it again, but this time, by the hair. This got another reaction from Lucas, which was more out of pleasure rather than shock. He felt his wrists being pinned to the ground, and the kiss got rougher. When he felt Ryan's tongue slip over his bottom lip, he didn't know what else to do, other than to do the same thing. The minute there was actual contact, a small moan escaped from Lucas, despite all he had been doing to keep quiet.

"Oh goodness..." He breathed, when Ryan had moved down to his neck, having undone the first button on his dress shirt. He felt him bite down on his collarbone, causing him to cry out again. Lucas clamped his hands over his mouth, hoping no one heard that. It felt as if Ryan was trying to tear off his skin. Despite how good this actually felt, he gently put his hands on Ryan's shoulders and guided him away.

"What?" Ryan asked, his face red and his hair slightly disheveled.

"Listen, um..." Lucas began to button his shirt back up, and re-straightened his tie, "I know what you're trying to do and all, and I'm glad you trust me enough. I really am. It's just..." He sat up, having been pushed into a laying down position, "I'd like to wait a little while longer. I've only known you for...a few months, can we wait until things get more serious between us?"

"Oh, you're one of those guys." Ryan said, with almost no hesitation and a hint of disappointment in his voice.

"Um... _what?_ "

"You get me all hot and bothered, and then you just stop? Man,  _highschool_  kids."

"Aren't you in highschool?" Asked Lucas. He paused, then raised an eyebrow, " _Aren't_  you?"

"Twenty three is a little old for high school, don't you think?" Ryan asked, sitting back.

"Your profile said you were  _nineteen._ " Lucas stated, suddenly feeling sick.

"People always lie on that site, come on."

Lucas, still flustered, stood up and staggered back a few steps. He put on a content smile.

"Hey, uh...! You know what? I think...I need to go to the washroom. So...I'll go do that, yeah?" He asked. Ryan shrugged.

"Sure."

Lucas nodded, and swiftly walked around the school, towards the entrance. Once he was out of Ryan's sight, he booked it into the building and sprinted into the first washroom he saw.

* * *

Ness, after splashing water onto his face and checking to see if his hair looked alright for the fourth time, finally turned around to exit...

...Only to run right into Lucas, who had come right around the corner.

" _Ah!_  Lucas!" Ness cried.

"Ness!" Lucas cried back.

"What're you...doing here?" Asked Ness.

"...Going to the washroom." Lucas replied. The uncertainty and reluctance in his voice was suspicious.

"Are you? Really?" Ness asked, crossing his arms. Lucas groaned and threw his hands in the air.

"No! I'm taking refuge from my weird date!" He admitted, leaning back against a stall. He hid his face in his hands, and groaned again.

"Now, now, tell me all about it." Ness offered.

"So first, he thinks it's weird that I talk about you a lot. And I say, 'we're friends! duh!' And then he thinks that I've got a thing for you, and I tell him, 'Um, no.' Then, he starts kissing me! And I kinda liked it, until he just got way too sexual, and so I say 'Hey, can you maybe not?' And that kinda pisses him off, and apparently, he's not even nineteen! He's twenty three! And I know it's not that big of an age gap, but...it was just really shocking and really out of nowhere." Lucas rambled, beginning to pace around the washroom.

"Jesus..." Ness shook his head, "Is he getting creepy?"

"No, not creepy, just kinda off." Lucas sighed, and looked up at Ness, "How about you? Things going well?"

"Um...yeah! All that and more." Ness said.

"Good!" Lucas replied, smiling. He rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath, "Alright, I'm gonna go out there again. Maybe I'll convince him to finally dance with me, huh?" He decided.

"Heh, alright. I'll see you." Ness said, "Also, there's a very obvious hickey on your neck, dude. Just thought I'd let you know."

"What?!" Lucas rushed to the mirror, and to his expectations, there was a small, but noticeable mark just above the collar of his shirt. He rolled his eyes. "Oh, god dammit." He spat. He simply tugged up his collar and gave a small wave. "Later."

"Later." Ness replied. Once Lucas was gone, he turned and looked at himself in the mirror. He couldn't stay in here forever. " _Then again, it's not like she would even notice I was gone._ " He thought, somewhat bitterly. He fixed his hair, straightened his jacket, took a deep breath, and exited the washroom.

* * *

Lucas composed himself as he made his way down the main hallway of the school. As he passed a row of trophy cases, he caught sight of his reflection. He sighed in relief, seeing that he didn't look too disheveled. He was going to go back out there and tell Ryan that he wasn't interested in what he had planned.

That changed when he glanced up, and caught sight of him, near the end of the hallway.

"Ryan!" He called, breaking into a jog and waving him down.

"Oh, um...hey, Luc." Ryan greeted. He seemed absentminded at the moment.

"Where...where're you going?" Lucas asked, confused. Ryan had been heading for the front entrance of the school. The red haired boy before him bit his lip and ran a hand over his face, looking stressed in a way. He sighed, and managed to hold eye contact with Lucas.

"Lucas, listen." Ryan began, "You really are a catch. Believe me. But you're really not gonna get far with any guy if you keep up an attitude like that, alright?"

"W-what...?" Lucas breathed, unsure of how to feel.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but...you're gonna come off as kinda  _boring_." Ryan said.

"Oh..." Lucas glanced down.  _Was_  he boring? Was that how people saw him?

"Yah. Anyways, when you were gone, I met this girl. We're gonna go chill out for a while. And as for us," Ryan paused, "We should take a break."

"Wait," Lucas held up a hand, "You're breaking up with me?"

"That's basically what I'm doing."

"Because  _you_  can't respect  _my_  choices?!"

Lucas regretted raising his voice.

"You know what? Maybe I'll come back when you decide to stop being a total bore, okay? Once you decide to loosen up, maybe." With that, Ryan turned and walked away. Lucas felt his eyes begin to sting.

"Yeah? Maybe I don't  _want_  you to come back! Everyone was  _right_ , I  _do_  deserve better!" Lucas cried, before he was finally alone in the hallway. He stared down at the floor. It felt like his head was full of white noise, and his heart was full of nails. He turned around, going the opposite direction, heading towards the back exit of the school. " _I don't deserve to feel heartbroken over him_ ," He thought, " _So why does it hurt so bad?_ "

Lucas, unsure of where he was actually going, found himself outside, wandering around the campus. He often passed by other couples who'd decided to take a break from the inside of the gym. He made sure to hide his tear-stained face. After circling the entire area, he approached the only lit up place; the basketball court. Although the empty, surrounding darkness was eerie, the sound of his footsteps echoing against the asphalt and the flickering lights nearby comforted him. He took a deep breath, and sat down against the brick wall of the school, listening to the bass gently pulsing from the other side of the school.

* * *

Ness navigated his way through the thick crowd. There was less than forty minutes left until students would be encouraged to leave, and he was determined to spend at least a little time with Nana. He approached the back corner where she'd previously been, but saw that she was no longer there. He once again scanned the area, unable to spot her. Unfortunately, Nana's colour of dress was very common, making it difficult to spot her. He asked around, but no one had seen where she'd gone. He began to panic a bit. He exited the gym again, looking around the hallways. When he turned a corner, to his relief, he caught site of a familiar white dress.

"Nana! There you are, oh geez..." He breathed. Nana turned, her eyes wide.

"Oh! Wow, hi!" She replied.

"So, uh...there's kinda not that much time left! I was wondering, you know...they're getting into the slower music now, um..." Ness suddenly found himself unable to talk properly, and began to fidget with his hands. Nana's face fell into a sympathetic type look, and she clasped her hands together.

"Ah...oh goodness...Ness, sweetie, I..." She stammered, avoiding eye contact, "I really had a nice time, I really did. But...I  _really_  don't think it would work between us." She admitted.

Ness felt his heart drop. It took him a while to come up with a response that he didn't even want to say, for he didn't want to know the answer, "W...why...?"

"Trust me, it really hurts to tell you this, and I'm  _so_  sorry. But you're just..." Nana paused, "...Really quiet. This whole night, you've barely said anything. I guess I'm just looking for someone who's a little more social, yeah? You get it, right?"

Ness looked down and bit his lip. He'd actually thought he'd had a chance with her. He barely had the heart to tell her why specifically he hadn't said much, and the last thing he wanted to do was disagree with her. So, he said one thing, "...Yeah!" He put on a fake smile, "Yeah, I get it!"

"I knew you would. Anyways, I met a guy, and we're gonna head out soon. But Ness, thank you, still. You really are a sweet guy. Big change from earlier this year." Nana grinned, patting his shoulder. "We can definitely stay friends. Bye bye!" She waved, and with that, she was gone. Ness stood alone for a while, still fidgeting with his hands. He eventually snapped out of his trance, and glanced around the area. He was thankful that no one had been around to see that. He put his hands in his pockets and decided to go outside to get some fresh air.

As he walked down the hallway, he caught sight of Paula, who was holding the hand of his college friend, Fuel. They both waved at him, and he smiled and waved back. At least his friends seemed to be having a nice time.

Upon feeling the nighttime air rush against him when he opened the back exit of the school, he felt a little better. He walked towards the first light source he saw. He turned and saw that the light came from the basketball court nearby. He jumped a bit, seeing that someone was already there, a shadow lurking on the court. Ness squinted to try and see who it was.

" _Hold on..._ " He thought, " _Is that Lucas?_ " He walked a little bit closer, and got a clearer view of the silhouette. It was definitely Lucas. He was sitting alone. " _Oh, no..._ "

Ness broke into a jog. Once he was within earshot of Lucas, the blond jumped, startled at the sudden sound of footsteps. Ness made sure to come into the light, to reveal who he was.

"Oh, thank goodness..." Sighed Lucas, placing a hand over his chest. Ness approached him.

"Just me, heh..." He said, "What're you doing out here all alone?" He asked, deciding to sit down next to him.

"I, uh..." Lucas seemed reluctant, "...I just went through my first breakup." He drew in his lower lip.

"Aw, man..." Ness replied, sadly, "Jesus, I'm sorry." He put a hand on his friend's back.

"Heh...you probably wanna say 'I Told You So', don't you?" Lucas asked.

"You know, I think that's the last thing you need to hear from me." Ness responded. Lucas smiled gratefully. He leaned over and bumped Ness' shoulder with his head, signaling that he wanted comfort. Ness put an arm around him.

"Ness?" Murmured Lucas.

"Hmm?"

"Why're you out here?"

"...I, uh..." Ness sighed, "I got the same treatment as you."

"Oh no, really? I'm sorry!" Lucas said, "You...really liked her, didn't you?"

"I  _did._ She said I didn't talk enough. Take a wild guess why." Ness said a bit playfully. 'She was polite about it, though. It wasn't, like, a mean breakup. It just kinda sucks. Also, she...kinda used me as an accessory. Turns out, people like my status a little more than me sometimes.  _Still._ "

" _Ouch._ " Lucas cringed. "Well, turns out we both deserve better." He said. After a few moments of just sitting there and enjoying each other's company, Lucas spoke again, "You know what? You were kinda right. I thought Prom was supposed to be this great time and all. It...really isn't. I didn't like it at all."

Ness looked down at him, regretting what he'd previously said about the event, "Hey, dude! Don't believe what I said, okay? Listen. Prom really is amazing, okay? The thing is, you gotta go with the right person. You and I just weren't all that lucky this year. Trust me, next year, I'm sure you'll find this  _stellar_  guy. And you'll see what Prom is really about. Trust me; it really is great." He assured. Lucas glanced up at him, hopefully.

"Yeah?" He asked. Ness nodded. Lucas laid back against him, his mood enlightened.

The next twenty or so minutes were almost silent, the only noise being the muffled music coming from the school and the frequent group of friends passing by every once in a while. Ness seemed to simply close his eyes to rest them while Lucas, the whole time, was mentally debating with himself. He struggled to come to a conclusion, as he felt like he needed to mention something important. Something he'd been trying to hide. He prepared himself, and straightened up a bit, catching Ness' attention.

"What's up...?" Murmured Ness, sounding somewhat tired.

"Ness, uh...can I...can I ask you something?" Lucas asked, shrugging his shoulders a bit, "Something that I probably should've asked a really long time ago?"

"Oh, uh, sure." Ness replied, his interest perked. "What is it?"

"I was gonna ask this, but I got to scared, and...I kinda lost my chance." Lucas admitted.

"Scared?" Ness repeated, "You don't have to be scared, go ahead and ask away."

Lucas nodded and drew in a deep breath. When he breathed out again, he made sure to look Ness directly in the eye, "Ness?" He began, "I was wondering, i-if you'd be willing...um...would you like to maybe go to the last..." He looked down and checked the time on his phone, "... _nine_  minutes of Prom with me?" He asked, his voice trailing off.

Ness' eyes widened, and he let out a small gasp. He found himself unable to respond, out of shock. He covered his mouth with his hand, before replying, "...Lucas, you were...? You were gonna ask me?"

Lucas looked away, and nodded hesitantly. "Kinda."

"And...I asked Nana before you could ask  _me_. That's why you were so quiet all of a sudden."

"Yep."

"And so you asked Ryan instead."

"Pretty much."

Ness paused, before hiding his face in his hands, "And now I feel like  _an ass...!"_

"Nooo! Nonononono, please don't feel like an ass! It was my fault, I'm the one who was being a chicken! You didn't know!" Lucas assured, somewhat regretting everything he'd said at this point.

"Ahhhh, shit...Lucas, I'm sorry, I-" Ness stopped, before looked at him quizzically, "Why  _me?_ " He asked.

"Well, when I found out that Prom didn't necessarily have to be a romantic thing, I couldn't really think of anyone else I'd rather go with." Lucas confessed, "...You're my best friend."

"Oh." Ness replied, now becoming somewhat flattered, "Wow, that's...kinda sweet."

Lucas smiled and looked at the ground. Ness, not entirely sure how to respond, hesitated for a few moments. Finally, he smiled, and turned to Lucas.

"Yeah." He said, "I'd love to go to the last..." He checked his watch, " _...Eight_  minutes of prom with you."

His friend broke into a smile that looked really real this time. There was a sparkle in Lucas' eye that Ness' hadn't seen in days.

" _Wooooo!_ " Lucas said softly, pumping a fist into the air, "This is fun."

"Better than the rest of the night." Ness added. Both laughed.

Once again, there was silence. There was now an awkward tension between the two, and neither of them knew what to say or do. That was, until Lucas heard the music in the school switch to a slow pop song he recognized. He'd been assigned to this song in his dance class to choreograph a routine. Having nothing to lose, Lucas sighed, hoisted himself up, and once finding where he was in the song, started to dance.

Ness tilted his head to the side, raising an eyebrow, "Whaaaaat are you doing?" He asked.

"What I should've been doing all night." Lucas replied, his voice shaking with the movement. Ness shrugged.

"Alright, you do you." He said. However, he was suddenly met with Lucas stopping in front of him. He looked up, seeing that Lucas was holding out his hand towards him. Ness stared at him, confused, before realizing what his friend was implying. Ness laughed nervously, "Oh, no, I can't dance."

"Yah, I call BS." Lucas stated.

"What?"

"Don't think I didn't see those certificates in your house that stated that you completed _five years of advanced ballroom dance._ " Lucas recalled, smugly. Ness froze, upon realizing what Lucas knew about him. He sighed in defeat, but shook his head again.

"What I mean is...I  _can_  dance, I just  _don't._ " He clarified.

"Why not?"

"'Cuz...it's kinda embarrassing? I'm an athlete, man. A classic jock. People would whisper about me and stuff." Ness explained.

"Well...no one's here except for me." Lucas suggested, once again holding out his hand. Ness glanced around, and eyed his friend again. This time, he smirked, and took Lucas' hand, allowing himself to be helped up into a standing position.

There was a few awkward seconds of the two trying to figure out hand placements, until they finally settled on Lucas placing his hand on Ness' shoulder, and Ness having his hand rested on Lucas' waist. They held eye contact, at first unsure of what to do. Lucas eventually decided to step to the side, then to the other, shifting his weight on his feet. Ness went along with it, still feeling strange. He knew he was supposed to be leading, but he wasn't too confident in his abilities in partner dancing, as he hadn't gone to a class in years. However, Lucas had an expression of assurance on his face, and that seemed to be enough for him.

Ness slightly applied pressure to Lucas' hip, indicating that he was going to experiment a little with footwork. He did one of the more professional steps he knew, and Lucas, being as experienced as he was, easily adapted and went along with it. For a few moments, they exchanged advanced techniques, eventually trying to outdo the other. This ended in laughter.

Once again, they locked eye contact. Lucas, feeling a strange sense of safety, let go of Ness' hand and hesitantly moved it to his other shoulder, before gently laying his head over his chest. Ness realized he was going for the traditional sway. He obliged. And that was it. There they were, together on a dimly lit basketball court, a thumbnail moon above them. It would seem like nothing special, but to them, it was more than special. Just two guys, giving each other what their previous companies had not, slow-dancing, as friends. Simple, platonic friends.

That was until Ness slowly opened his eyes, raising his head a bit to glance down at Lucas, who had a comfortable, content smile on his face. He thought about the feeling of his friend up against him, and how connected they were. He thought about the friendship they'd grown. He thought about almost everything ever since the beginning of the school year, up until this very point. He thought about all that Lucas had done for him, and how much better his life was because of him. Ness felt like he was coming to a realization, but he didn't want to admit it.

Slowly, the song faded out, leaving only silence. However, they didn't split apart. Instead, Lucas moved his arms around his neck instead, and hugged him.

"Thank you." He softly murmured, "Those few minutes were more fun than everything before this combined."

"No problem..." Ness replied. Normally, he'd try to back out of a hug, because it wasn't masculine enough. But now, he didn't want it to end. Because at this point, Ness allowed the realization to sink in. And upon coming to it, he only squeezed his friend tighter.

It was often said that Prom was meant to be the most special of all nights.

Ness believed that now.

* * *

It was three days after the Prom fiasco, and now, all the attention was set on the school musical. They opened the very next day, and the stress was rising to ungodly limits. Ness now had Ninten's entire role memorized. Scripts were tossed aside. For now, the show seemed absolutely perfect.

This was the thought running through Ness' head as he sat on the couch in the living area of the apartment. He was waiting for Ninten to return, as he'd gone out to buy coffee. Speak of the devil, he finally heard the front lock move around. The door swung open, and Ninten struggled to hold two drinks, his keys, and his back. He looked up at Ness and grinned, giving him a salute.

"I'm home, sweetie." He greeted, panting.

"Hey, bitch." Replied Ness. Ninten winced.

"Owie, thanks." He laughed. He walked over, and set down two beverages on the coffee table. He sat down next to Ness and motioned to one of them, "There. I drove all the way to Starbucks because you just had to have their black coffee, no cream or sugar, because you're  _boring._ "

"Wow, burn returned." Said Ness, "You sure Claus didn't poison this?" He asked, picking up the coffee and slowly beginning to drink it.

"I can't make any promises." Ninten grinned, picking up his low-fat-soy-espresso-whatever. Ness leaned back.

"So! You nervous? For tomorrow?" He asked.

"Yikes, a little. I hope the show goes okay." Ninten said.

"Eh, you'll be fine. Even if something bad happens, everyone's gonna be too distracted about the fact that you guys made the two main characters gay." Ness teased.

"Don't start poking fun, remember that you may have to play this role yourself." Ninten reminded.

"Will you stop? Unless you, your understudy, and your understudy's understudy all...I dunno, break your legs or something, I'll be fine!"

"You're gonna jinx it, I told you."

"It's fine. Trust me, Ninten. Nothing's gonna happen."


	12. The Sons of The Father

"Uhhh...hi, Ness?"

"Hm?"

"Something happened."

Ness sat up, alert. While waiting for Ninten to get back from an errand, he'd been laying in his bed, flipping through his phone, and he'd gotten a call from Paula. He felt a sense of dread; Paula did not sound too happy. He begged for nothing to be wrong, his stress was already high enough. With the school musical now into it's final few shows, he just wanted everything to be over with. Thankfully, the show was well received, and ticket sales were increasing, so it would end on a good note at least. He just couldn't wait to get the constant melodies out of his head.

"Calm down, uh...what's wrong?" He asked. He heard panicked talking in the background. It was definitely either Lucas or Claus, he couldn't tell. Paula stammered for a bit, before being able to construct a sentence.

"Y-you gotta get over here." She said.

"Wait, what? Paula, get over where? Where are you?" Ness got up and grabbed his jacket from the door hanger, then stepped into his runners nearby. He glanced outside; it was sundown. Ninten should have been back home by now.

"Hospital." Was all Paula could sputter out. Ness froze, before grabbing his keys off the nearby desk.

"The one near the school?"

"Mmhmm."

"Okay, stay there, I'm coming."

He hung up, forgetting to ask what had happened. He bolted out of the apartment, quickly locked the door, and sprinted down the hallway and down the stairs, jumping over them rather than walking down them. After running past a concerned doorman and pushing through the front doors, he instantly spotted his car and proceeded to strap himself in.

As Ness drove as fast as the speed limit would let him. Thankfully, the apartment was right near the hospital, and he quickly spotted it. As if the lord himself was watching down on him, Ness almost instantly spotted an empty parking space, which he immediately took, before rushing out of the vehicle. As he ran towards the building he caught sight of two familiar figures, one of which had a brink pink head of hair, the other with short brown curls.

"Kuma! Kumatora! Travis!" Ness called, waving his hand to flag them down. Thankfully, his friends heard him, and they ran to meet him.

"Ness! Paula called you, yeah? Me and Travis just got here." Kumatora explained, as Ness stopped to catch his breath. Travis clasped his hands together and shivered against the cold night air.

"I hope nothing too bad happened...did she tell you who was hurt?" He asked softly. Ness shook his head.

"No, but I get the feeling I already know." He replied. The three of them began to jog to the entrance, and upon entering the lobby, they spotted Paula sitting on a nearby bench. She looked up from her phone, and shot up.

"Paula, what's going on?" Asked Kumatora.

"H...He's okay, but...but...it's broken, and..." Paula stammered, her voice quivering.

"Sssshhh, it's okay, just take us where we need to go." Travis assured, rubbing her shoulder. Paula nodded and began to lead them down a hallway. After they had made their way through a seemingly endless maze of corridors, they finally reached a numbered door. Paula knocked, and after some silence, someone answered. It was Jeff, who backed up to let everyone inside.

"Good, you guys are here." He murmured.

Ness was the first to enter, and the first thing he saw was Claus, collapsed, face down on the floor, with a concerned Lucas at his side.

"Ah! Jesus...!" Ness recoiled back. "What happened?"

"He passed out." Lucas replied, as if this was normal.

"Well...! Tch...!  _Yah_ , I can see that! But...why?" Ness cried. Lucas bit his lip, and pointed to the right side of the room. Ness turned, and immediately rolled his eyes.

"Oh...you've got to be  _fucking_  kidding me." He muttered.

Laid in the hospital bed was Ninten, who had a very visible bruise on his cheek, as well as an obvious cast on his leg. He smiled nervously, and waved.

"...Surprise...!" He weakly presented, perfectly aware of how Ness would react. Just as he'd predicted, Ness approached him and swatted him upside the head. Ninten, rather than confront him, nodded. He'd deserved that.

"For god's sake...what did you do?" Ness asked, softening his voice, just glad that his roommate was okay at this point.

"I, uh...was driving," Ninten began.

"No need to say more, I understand now." Ness cut him off. He was surprised that Ninten wasn't in the hospital every other week due to his somewhat noticeable lack of skills on the road. He turned around, to once again see Claus' limp body on the ground. "How long as he been out?"

"About ten minutes. He was out cold once Ninten told him what happened." Lucas explained.

"Ahh, I see. Does, uh...does this happen a lot?" Ness asked.

"Oh, yeah. He used to pass out every other night when he was in his early recovery. It wasn't too bad, except for he'd always wake up-"

" _WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU GOT INTO A CAR ACCIDENT?!_ " Claus suddenly shrieked, raising off the ground and propping himself up on his elbows. Everyone in the room yelped in response, but Lucas barely flinched. He sighed, and finished his sentence.

"...screaming." He said.

Claus lifted himself to his feet and rushed over to Ninten's side. He would have usually freaked out, but he remembered to stay protective, but not over the top. He sat on the side of the bed and looked at Ninten with a soft gaze.

"Nelson...are you okay?" He asked. Ninten, pleased with Claus' composure, nodded and grasped his hand.

"One hundred and ten percent." He smirked.

"God, your face..." Claus laughed, his eyes stinging, but not watering up just yet. "Why do you look like...such a dork? That bruise doesn't help you."

"If I wasn't confined to this bed, I'd punch the lights outta you, Hun." Ninten replied. They snickered together for a brief moment. Claus leaned down to kiss him, but was interrupted by Kumatora and Ness, who both groaned. Claus sat back up, irritated.

"Can you maybe get a room?" Kumatora sneered.

"Well, I think it's kinda cute..." Travis whispered.

"You see? Travis appreciates us. Besides, I did get a room. I'm in it right now. It's not like I can leave it anyways, my stupid leg got snapped in half." Ninten muttered, trying to move his foot, wincing in pain.

Ness, upon hearing this, suddenly gasped and snapped his fingers.

"Your leg!" He realized, "Your closing show is tomorrow, there's no way you can do it!"

"It's no issue, he's got his backups, remember? One of them can just take over." Kumatora reminded. The two of them noticed Ninten turn away. Kumatora narrowed her eyes. "...Right, Ninten?"

Ninten didn't respond, but shifted uncomfortably.

" _Ninten,_ " Ness challenged, as if he was coaxing a young child to confess. Ninten avoided eye contact, but slowly raised a pointed finger, directing their gaze to the other side of the room. There was a section of the area that was closed off by curtains. Fearing for the worst, Ness slowly pulled back the fabric, and nearly fell backwards.

In two other beds laid too other people, each in about the same condition as Ninten. Both unconscious, and both with obvious broken legs.

"Ninten," Ness repeated, not even looking over his shoulder, "...Are those your understudies?" He muttered. Ninten shivered, intimidated by his voice alone.

"...Maybe."

"And...they too have broken legs."

"...Yyyyyeah."

"...Were they in the car with you?"

"Yes..."

Ness slowly turned around, eyes slits. Ninten drew in his lower lip and looked down shamefully.

"When you get out of this hospital, I'm gonna put you back in it." Ness growled. Kumatora grinned.

"You know what that means, Ness. All three actors are gone. We need a saviour." She teased.

"No." Ness said, turning away,

" _What?!_ " Everyone else cried in unison.

"Ness, you promised!" Paula insisted.

"Well, I didn't think this was actually gonna  _happen!_  It seemed too coincidental!" Ness protested. There was a long while of arguing between Ness and the group, before something stopped him.

"Please?"

Ness looked down, to see Lucas clutching his arm, staring back up at him with pleading eyes. He froze, opening his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He turned away to hide the red on his face.

"I can't! I haven't been onstage for anything in...years. Let alone a full on musical." Ness replied.

"Ness, please?  _Please?_  This show means so much to me. I'm not trying to force you, but we've been working so hard, and with no one to play one of the lead roles..." Lucas trailed off, looking at the ground. Ness couldn't think straight, having his friend this close to him. He looked back at him, knowing damn well that all he'd have to do was look in his eyes again and give in. And that's what happened.

"...Okay..." Ness replied. Lucas' face instantly lit up.

"Really?!" He cried.

"...I guess it wouldn't hurt."

" _Eeeeeeek!_  Thank you! Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_  You have no idea how much that means to me! You're amazing!" Lucas squealed, hugging Ness from the side. Ness pretended to look disinterested.

"Yah, okay, it's not that big of a deal..." Ness said, flustered. He slightly glanced at Ninten, who sent him a grateful smile. He nodded back in return.

Inside, his heart was pounding, and his mind was spinning. He offered to drive both of the twins and Paula home, and during the whole trip, he spoke in short sentences and kept to himself, too afraid that he'd reveal the paranoia growing inside of him. By the time he arrived at the apartment, he collapsed against the door and let out a deep breath. He kicked off his shoes and threw his jacket on to the kitchen table, before trudging to his bedroom and sitting down on his bed. The fear for Ninten's health and the increasing anxiety building up was too much for him. He began to recite pi.

" _What did I just get myself into?_ " He thought to himself. By this time tomorrow, he was going to be on that stage, with over a hundred people watching his every move. He was going to be playing a role that he didn't even audition for, a role that was meant for Ninten. Ness didn't have the confidence, the bravery, and especially the talent that his roommate had.

The sudden ringing of his phone on the nearby desk startled him, and brought him out of his thoughts. Ness composed himself and checked the screen, and felt a small buzz go through his body. It was Lucas.

"Hello?" He greeted, once opening the call.

"Hey, Ness...it's not too late, is it?" Lucas asked. His voice calmed Ness down a bit, giving him a warm, comforting vibe.

"N-no! No, no, you're okay. What, uh...what do you need?" Ness replied, laying back. Despite being able to talk to Lucas just fine for the past few months, he'd only just recently been finding it more and more difficult.

"I just wanna know if you're okay. With all that's happened today, heh. First, you find out your roommate nearly died, then you find out you're about to play one of the leads in the closing show. You, uh...you scared?" Lucas laughed nervously a bit. He was obviously just as anxious as Ness was.

"What? Me? Scared? That's stupid, I know this show like the back of my hand." Ness insisted, forcing false confidence into his voice.

"You're fucking terrified, aren't you?" Lucas guessed. Ness sighed.

"Like a rabbit in a wolf den." He confirmed, shamefully.

"You know what? You're going to be fantastic. From what I've seen already, you can be just as good as Ninten." Lucas assured. Ness couldn't help but smile, grateful for his friend's support.

"You think so?"

"I  _know_  so. Remember, for most of the show, I'm gonna be up there with you. If you mess up, I'll help. You're going to be _fine._ "

Ness' face flushed a bit, "Speaking of that, heh...our characters, they're...in love."

There was a pause on the other end. "Oh, right. That's kinda awkward, huh?"

"A little bit." Ness replied. There was a moment of silence.

"But, uh, hey! At least you and I will be prepared for the kiss scene, right?"

" _Ummmm...!_  What? I-I mean, I don't...we haven't...!" Ness stammered, desperately trying to think of something to say in response to the quite frankly out of nowhere comment.

"Ness, dude, chillax. It's not like we haven't had plenty of practice. All we need to do is take a few shots before the show, and we're okay." Lucas teased a bit. Ness finally understood was he was referencing, and laughed, remembering the incident behind the school which had since become an inside joke between the two of them.

"Oh, right! Promise you wont freak out like a little pussy this time?" Ness challenged.

"As long as you don't try to shove your tongue down my throat this time. I'm still mad about that." Lucas replied with barely any hesitation.

" _Woooow_ , Lucas. Shots  _fucking_  fired." Ness snickered. "Deal."

"Deal!"

The two friends shared casual conversation after that. Ness used this as an opportunity to ask questions about the show and what was going on, clarify lyrics, and everything else he may have needed for the night ahead. The call began to ease his paranoia. Even when the topic of conversation shifted away from the show, Ness found himself in a state of calmness. If he messed up, the audience probably wouldn't even notice.

When the call finally ended, both boys noticed that it was nearly eleven at night.

"Yikes, we've been talking for almost an hour and a half, heh." Lucas said.

"Yeah, I think we should probably get some rest. Big day tomorrow." Ness replied. He regretting saying that; he didn't want to hang up. He could listen to his friend all day. But, he resisted the urge to keep the call going.

"Alright, I'm gonna let you go. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yep! Yep...tomorrow."

"Okay. You have a good night."

"Totally, g'night."

Ness heard the click, but didn't pull the phone away. He stayed there, sprawled over his bed, as if expecting Lucas to say something again. Of course, he didn't. Ness sighed and shut off the device. He let his head fall back, and he stared up at the ceiling. He smiled. The two of them often called each other and had long conversations about whatever. Recently, Ness had been enjoying these talks more than usual, barely wanting them to end.

" _Geez, Nesley..._ " He muttered, " _Get a hold of yourself. He's just some boy._ "

The last thing he saw before falling asleep was the time on the bedside clock.

* * *

"Aaaaand, scene. Bows, Curtains, Blackout, skedaddle offstage. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy?"

Ness gave a quick nod to the director. It was early in the morning, and it was decided that due to Ninten's unfortunate accident, it would be a good idea to let the new Marius run through an emergency cue-to-cue rehearsal. He definitely felt more confident now.

"Yes'm." Ness answered, nodding.

"Good! You think you're ready?" The director asked.

"I  _know_  I'm ready." Ness corrected.

"Yes! Yes, that is the attitude I want! Keep that in your head all day!" The director clapped, "Now you tell Ninten that when I get a hold of him, I'm gonna slap him into next week. What did you say happened again?"

"Let's just say that the kid can't drive." Ness replied, having hopped off the stage and into the house to retrieve his things. He slung his backpack over his shoulder, "Technically, it wasn't his fault. He had the right of way, but some drunk guy smashed into him. But it probably could've been avoided if Ninten  _checked his mirrors_  for once."

Both of them laughed. Ness thanked the director quickly, and walked to the back of the theater, where two people sat, having watched the whole thing. Ness waved.

"Bear-Tiger. Gingersnap. A pleasure to see you, as always." He greeted, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Kumatora stood up to greet him, while Claus took his time.

"Well, well, well. I haven't seen you perform ever since the fourth grade school play, so I'm looking forward to tonight." Kumatora patted him on the shoulder.

"You've already seen the show every other night, why do you need to come again?" Asked Ness.

"I'm gonna be blunt; I really wanna see you and Lucas kiss. I'm pretty sure every other student in this school does, too." Kumatora stated.

"Jesus Christ..."

"You'd better be as good as Lucas says you are." Claus shook his head as the three of them began to leave. Ness perked up.

"Wait, what? He said I'm good?" He asked, with an accidental force in his voice.

"Um..." Claus raised an eyebrow, surprised by Ness' sudden energy, "Yeah. He talked about how excited he was all morning."

"Really? Wait, what else did he say?" Ness pushed, trying to keep up with his friends as they exited the theater and entered the front foyer.

"You know, usual Lucas things. Don't you have English in like, five minutes? Better get going, Ultra." Claus said. Rather than heading to the English hallway, Ness continued to follow Claus.

"Okay, but define 'usual Lucas things'. Were they just like, normal, everyday things? Or were they 'things that you can say to your brother but not me because then it would be weird' kind of things? Does he ever talk about me in casual situations? What do you think his thoughts are? Of me, I mean?" Ness asked, nearly tripping when rounding a sharp corner.

"You okay, Ness? If you wanna know so bad, just go ask him." Kumatora insisted.

"Good idea! Yeah, okay!" Ness exclaimed. As he spun around to jog back to his classroom, Claus and Kumatora eyed each other with bewildered looks, before brushing it off.

With a few minutes to spare, Ness entered the classroom and navigated through the maze of desks before reaching the one near the window. He was pleased to see that Lucas was already setting up in the desk beside his. Ness quickly sat down.

"Hi!" Was all he said. Lucas glanced up, and smiled.

"You look excited." He said, leaning his face on his hand. "...And scared."

"I'm absolutely terrified!" Ness replied, still managing to keep a smile on his face.

"Ness, you're going to be fine. If I can go up there,  _me_ , then you can too." Lucas assured.

"Yah, you're right." Ness gripped his hair and sighed, "It's just...comparing me to Ninten is like comparing a pebble to a mountain."

"No! No comparing! Don't do that! That is _toxic_. Filter out those negative thoughts."

"Go back to Freshii where you belong."

Before Lucas could reply, the bell rang, and the teacher entered the room. The class immediately went silent. Ness found himself unable to pay attention to the lesson as it dragged on, as the question from earlier was still tugging at his mind. He wondered what Lucas actually said about him when he wasn't around. His eyes slightly drifted to the side, where he caught sight of him. Lucas was bent over a sheet of paper, carefully printing out whatever the teacher said in neat, controlled handwriting. Ness began to notice things that he hadn't noticed before. In fact, this had been going on ever since Prom night.

He noticed that when Lucas seemed to have trouble with a question, or messed up on a word, he'd scrunch up his face. When he wrote, he dotted the i's with circles instead of dots. There was a little unruly curl of hair that always managed to make it's way in front of his face, and every so often, he'd brush it away. There were little patches on the sides of his face where he'd obviously been too tired to shave that morning. When he was concentrating really hard, he'd bite his lower lip. It was the little things that caught Ness' attention. He found himself smiling.

"Ness, do you need an invitation to start, or can you get moving on your own?"

The sudden voice of his teacher snapped him out of his thoughts. Ness sat up straight, scrambling to grab his notebook. A chorus of giggles ran through the classroom.

"Ah! Um...n-no, ma'am..." Ness stammered. Lucas glanced at him from the side with a slightly teasing look. Ness turned away, embarrassed.

He had to get out of his own head. After all, he had a show to do. He would be fine. And Lucas would be right up there with him.

* * *

Ness needed an excuse to get out of classes that day. It was near the end of first period, and his teacher had gone to photocopy something or other. Taking the opportunity, Ness slid his phone out of his pocket and quickly began to type. Lucas noticed this.

"Who're you texting?" He whispered.

"Ninten. I gotta get out of classes today." Ness replied. Lucas nodded, understanding.

' **dude i need your help. please call the school and say that you need me to bring you some things from our place. i need extra rehearsal time.** ' Ness sent. He patiently waited for a reply.

' **Gotcha! Gimme a sec.** ' Was Ninten's thankfully quick answer.

' **thx** '

At this point, the teacher had returned. Ness quickly pocketed the phone and returned to his work, eyeing the nearby phone on the wall. Not even five minutes later, it rang, making the teacher get up and answer.

"Yes, Room 134. Mhmm? Okay, I'll send him on down." The teacher hung up and turned to Ness, "Nesley, you're needed at the office."

Ness pretended to look shocked, "Oh! I see! Well, alright, if they insist." He shrugged, quickly packing up his things. Before leaving, he patted Lucas on the shoulder as a way to say 'goodbye'.

He arrived at the office, and smiled to see his mother at the counter.

"Hey, mom." Ness greeted. She looked up and beamed.

"Hi, darlin'! Your friend called from the hospital, he needs you to bring him a few things. Can you do that?" She asked. Ness noticed that his mom seemed very hesitant speaking to him. He wondered how she was doing without him. He hadn't spoken to her in person since he'd moved out.

"Yeah, yeah, totally." Ness replied.

"How...how's living on your own?" His mother asked, rather suddenly.

"Oh, with Ninten? It's great."

"Good, good...well, I'm glad!"

There was a short silence.

"I heard through the staff that you were taking over Ninten's role." His mother said, tilting her head to the side. "That's exciting!"

"Yep, exciting." Was all Ness could think of. He was absolutely terrified. Did she know about his secret? And if so, did she have the same view as his father? He turned around, "Well, I'm gonna go."

"Wait," His mother called, stopping him in the doorway. Ness faced her again hesitantly. She draw in her lip and sighed, "Nesley, um...It's nice to see you again."

Ness smiled, "Yah. You too, mom." It was all that came out. He awkwardly shifted on his feet, unsure if it was appropriate to leave or not. There was another bit of silence. He didn't want to speak. He didn't want to mess up.

So, he left.

Sure, it was rude, but he didn't know what else to do. As he walked down the main hallway towards the front entrance, there was a growing feeling of guilt that continuously gnawed at him. A voice in his head yelled at him to go back and apologize, but he managed to push past the urge and rushed outside. He couldn't think about this now. He had other things he needed to focus on.

* * *

"Knock knock, I'm coming in." Ness said aloud as he slipped into the hospital room.

"But I'm in labour!" Ninten called back from the bed. The two of them paused for a brief moment, before bursting into laughter. Ninten stretched his arms above his head and squeezed his eyes shut, letting out a groan of satisfaction. "Aye, aye, aye...I wish you actually did come to bring me stuff. All day, I've been craving some-"

Before Ninten could finish, Ness had already reached into his backpack and taken out a blue package, tossing it at Ninten. It landed just beside him. Ness hadn't forgotten to grab a pack of Oreos.

Ninten gasped and his eyes lit up, " _Yes!_ " He breathed as he seized the package, ripping it open and immediately eating one of the cookies, " _Thaaank yoou!_ " He cried.

"You owe me four dollars and fifty two cents." Ness snickered as he sat down next to his injured friend. "I'm saving your ass today."

"And I am very grateful, honest. Do you think you're ready?" Ninten asked, handing a sandwich cookie to Ness, who twisted it in half.

"Hah, no. But you know what, I'm gonna wing it." Ness decided confidently.

"Good man. Damn it, I wish I could come see you!" Ninten said, disappointed.

"You've _been_  in the show, why would you wanna see the same old stuff again?" Ness asked, leaning back in his chair.

"It's not that, I just wanna see you and Lucas kiss." Ninten teased, having already protected his face with a pillow from the oncoming attack.

" _Ninten!_ " Ness cried, swatting at him. He laughed nervously, letting his hair fall in front of his face to hide the fact that it was turning pink. Ninten noticed this, and paused.

"Oooooohh, Neeeesss. What's goin' on over there?" Ninten smirked, raising his eyebrows. He leaned over to try and look Ness in the eyes. Ness only turned away.

"...Nothing!" Ness quickly replied, standing up and walking to the other side of the room, where the window was. He set his hands on the windowsill and pretended to be looking at the cityscape. He knew Ninten was staring at him with that goddamn smile of his.

"Mmmmmmmmokay..." Ninten murmured, not yet ready to change the subject.

For a few minutes, Ness wandered around the room, muttering lyrics to himself. He noticed that Ninten was intensely watching him the whole time. He faced the the other direction as much as possible.

"What's with the skipping?" Ninten suddenly piped up, a content, knowing smile on his face.

"Pardon?" Ness asked, facing him.

"You're skipping." Ninten pointed out, "Why?"

Ness realized that he was right; he'd been walking around with a slight jump in his step. He shook his head, "No reason."

"You've been very chipper these past few days, Ness." Ninten pointed out. Ness scoffed.

"I'm in a good mood, is all." He dismissed.

"That's what bothers me." Ninten said, teasingly.

"Pssh, what? Is there a problem?" Ness asked.

"Oh, no." Ninten brushed off, suspiciously, "No, no, no, no problem. Other then that fact that you very obviously have a  _huge crush on someone!_ "

" _Ummmm,_  Ninten!" Ness panicked and advanced on his friend, "Are those pain meds making you all crazy? No, I don't."

"Then what's with the sighing? The humming? The gazing off into space? The  _skipping?_ You've got someone on your mind, I know it." Ninten smirked. Ness rolled his eyes.

"These must be those psychic powers I've heard of. Can you maybe  _not?_ " He muttered. Ninten ignored him, and kept talking.

"How about this: I'll ask a question, and you answer it, leading me to guess who it is, okay?" He proposed, clapping his hands together. Ness glared at him, bewildered.

"W-what? I'm not just gonna-" He was once again interrupted.

"Boy or girl?"

Ness paused, and thought for a moment. He knew how to fix this whole thing.

"Girl." He answered, pretending to sound confident in his reply.

"Hmm. Short or tall?"

"Very tall. Like, almost my height."

"Hair colour?"

"...Red."

"Eye colour?"

"Brown."

"Got any siblings?"

"Not a single one."

"What do they like to do for fun?"

"Sports. Competitive things. Stuff like that."

Ninten nodded, "Mmhmm...I think I know who it is." He grinned. Ness laughed.

"Yeah, okay. Good luck figuring that-"

"It's Lucas, isn't it?"

Ness' smug smile dropped, and so did his jaw. His heart nearly stopped. He looked Ninten up and down, as his friend simply smiled back at him.

"How did you...?! What?!" Ness cried, gripping his hair.

" _Hah!_  You just confirmed it! _I'm right!_ " Ninten exclaimed, pointing a finger at him. Ness bit his lip, struggling to find words. He paced around the room for a few seconds, before slumping back down onto the chair and sighing, hiding his face in his hands. Ninten's stare softened, "Hey, c'mon, Ness. In all seriousness, is it him?"

"I..." Ness looked up at him, leaned back, and exhaled, "...Yeah. It's...it's him."

" _Really?_ " Ninten asked, eyes sparkling. Ness only nodded back. Ninten squeezed his hands into fists and grinned, " _Awwww, Ness_! That is the  _sweetest_ , most  _adorable..._ "

"Yeah, okay, save it." Ness said, smirking only a little.

"...Most  _amazing_  thing I've ever heard. Like, seriously, this is like a plot out of a movie."

"You have to promise to keep your mouth shut, okay? I'm only telling you this because you're my roomie."

"I promise, I won't tell a soul."

"Yes you fuckin' will." Ness murmured under his breath. Ninten pretended to look hurt and gasped. They both laughed a bit after trying to hold serious eye contact. Ness sat down next to his friend and sighed, putting his face in his hands. Ninten gave him a sympathetic smile.

"Don't worry, dude. Crushes are tough. They suck." He said. Ness shook his head.

"That's not it, it's just..." Ness trailed off. He looked back at Ninten, "What do  _you_  do?"

"What, when I like someone?" Ninten clarified. getting a nod in response. "Well, it's different for everyone. But usually, I just tell 'em."

"Wait, really? Just like that?"

"Mmhmm. It's now or never, right? Gotta get that closure."

"Huh." Ness replied, "...That is absolutely freakin' crazy. What else do you do? What did you do with Claus?"

"That's all! I told him! Now, of course, he didn't really believe me at first. But the point is, I told him. And look at us now!" Ninten said. Ness rolled his eyes.

"That's never gonna happen with Luc and me, though. I need some other way to...I dunno, get rid of it." He expressed.

"Don't say that, Ness. You have no idea how the future goes, alright? Who knows? Maybe Cupcake's got a thing for you?  _Huuuuh?_ " Ninten suggested. Ness smiled a bit, looking back down at the floor. He brushed a hand through his hair.

"Nah." He dismissed. "He's got a type. I'm not in that type."

"Ummm, what? Let's see. He told me he likes tall guys. You're what, six foot? That's pretty tall."

"Well, sure, but-"

"He likes guys who aren't afraid to show their emotions. And you..." Ninten looked him up and down, " _...Kinda_  fit that description."

"Okay, but-"

"Dark hair, dark eyes. You've got purple eyes, yeah?"

"Okay, they're  _blue_ , how many times do I have to-"

"And most of all, he likes being around you,  _because_  you're  _you_. He likes being your friend, and if you two were a thing, I'm sure he'd love that too. I wouldn't be surprised if he liked you too." Ninten said.

"But what if he doesn't?" Ness repeated.

"Well, then he just doesn't! And you go on about your day. It's not like he'd hate you forever and never talk to you again. You know Lucas. He'd still love you, just as a friend." Ninten assured, putting a hand on Ness' arm. Ness continued to stare at the floor. He bit his lip.

"I guess." He murmured.

"Exactly. So, all in all, if I were you, I'd go right up to him and say it. Just be completely honest with him. Worst case scenario, he wants to stay friends. There's nothing to lose."

There was a long silence. Ness thought long and hard about the whole thing. Ninten was right; Lucas wasn't the type of person who'd turn him away for something like this. And Ness knew this. He let out a stressful sigh, and sat up straight.

"Then I'll do it." He decided.

"Yah?"

"Yah. I'll...I'll go right up to him, and I'll tell him."

"Yes! Go for it! It'll be over in seconds!"

"Like a speed run!"

"...Yeah...!"

"Yeah!"

" _Yeah!_ "

They continued to grow in volume until a nurse from another room asked them to quiet down. When she left, they looked at each other and laughed.

"Alright, so! You skipped school to practice, better get to it." Ninten insisted, waving his hands to signal Ness to get his script. "Dude, I'm so excited! Trust me. When you're up there, and you see the audience, and all the lights, it's perfect. You'll see what I mean."

"Yah, okay, man. I'll take your word for it."

* * *

"10 minutes to places, Scene one!"

A chorus of thank you's spread through the crowd of students, all preparing for their final performance. In the men's locker room, one particular person was having a bit of trouble.

"Lucas?"

"Hm?"

Ness turned to his friend, who was closely examining his face in the mirror. Lucas glanced at him, and saw that he was having a costume difficulty.

"How d'you tie this ascot thing? I just tied it into a knot, but..." Ness fidgeted with a white strip of fabric he had draped around his neck. Lucas scoffed and shook his head playfully. He slid off his chair and went to be of assistance.

"It's called a cravat, Ness. You just..." Lucas took hold of the fabric and gently began twisting and turning it in ways Ness couldn't understand. He averted eye contact, staring bashfully at the floor as Lucas continued to help. "Aaaaaand, there. See? Easy as pie."

Ness looked at himself in the mirror. The cloth was now tied into a neat knot.

"How? _How?_ " Ness breathed, throwing his hands up. Lucas giggled and stepped back.

"Alright...lemme see." He said. Ness rested his arms at his side, letting Lucas see him in his entirety.

"I think I look kinda cool." Ness said, looking down at the navy waistcoat. He felt pretty fancy. With the complete costume and his microphone, he felt important. He felt the thrill he used to get from performing at recitals and the like.

"Awwwww! You're fantastic! Don't tell Ninten, but you wear that better than he does."

"Whaaat? Shut up."

"I'm serious!  _Eeeeek_ , I'm just... _really_  excited! I'm jealous, though. You look so cool in your tailcoat, and then there's me." Lucas gestured down to himself. He wore nothing more than a white dress shirt, a brown vest, a pair of black tights, and his old, matted dance shoes. He pouted.

"Oh, be quiet, you look great. Both of us do." Ness decided. Lucas only answered with a grateful smile.

In silence, the two of them resumed their business. Ness picked up his phone to check a few notifications, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the mirror in front of him. Upon looking up slightly, he saw Lucas, simply running choreography. He watched, entranced. Every step Lucas took was weightless, his feet making no sound as they touched the floor. He just looked so...graceful. Like he was made out of air. Each move was soft, poised, and controlled. Ness was completely mesmerized.

Lucas eventually caught him staring.

"Ness? You doing okay over there?" He asked, as he came to a stop. Ness realized he'd been caught, and averted his eyes.

"Ah, um...yeah, I'm chill, I'm chill." He said, pretending to look so, "You're just... _really_  good."

"Aw, thanks, Ness." Lucas gushed. He observed his friend, "Something's on your mind. You wanna talk?"

"Huh? No, I already told you, I'm chill. I'm just...nervous, that's all."

"No, you've  _really_  got something on your mind. Tell me what's going on."

Ness was about to protest, but remembered the conversation he'd had with Ninten earlier that day. There really was nothing to lose. He'd been procrastinating his undying confession all day, and now that he was alone with Lucas, he had his chance. He took in a deep breath.

"Well," He said, "There is  _one_  thing."

"I'm listening."

"Aye...um..." Ness paused. This was harder than he thought. "Lucas, there's kinda something...important. I've wanted to bring this up for a while now, but I've been putting it off. A-alot."

"Okay, well, go ahead and tell me, if you want." Lucas repeated.

"Oh boy...see, Lucas, the thing is-"

"Hey guys, five minutes to places." A stage manger poked his head in through the door. Lucas gasped.

"Aw shit! I gotta go get my mic on! Sorry Ness, we can talk later."

And with that, Lucas disappeared. Ness sat there in silence, half frustrated, half relieved. He'd tell him later. He turned to looked at himself in the mirror, once again feeling pleased with his appearance. He took in a deep breath, and slowly let it out. What he would've given for just a bit more rehearsal time.

He made his way to the backstage area and watched the monitor hooked up to a camera which recorded the stage. He could just barely see the front row of the audience. He shivered. He didn't actually have to go onstage until many songs in, but he still couldn't shake off the anxiety that he would eventually have to perform in front of these people. He thought of how much better Ninten would have done. Ness began to wander around the area, passing other actors who all gave him the same worried, sympathetic glance. They seemed just as scared as he was.

As he wandered, he muttered lyrics to himself. He began to slowly calm down. That was, until he suddenly heard the hustle and bustle outside go silent. Upon looking at the monitor, the stage had gone dark, and a single person stood in a spotlight; the announcer. The atmosphere of the green room grew heavy with tension. As the speaker read from their clipboard in hand, the students backstage continued to hold their breath.

Any time now. Applause from the audience told them that the announcements had finished, and the stage went completely black. Silence hung in the air. Ness watched the orchestra pit, and watched the conductor for the school band raise her baton and hold it there for several seconds.

With a flick of her wrist, the horn section burst into action, and the overwhelming sound of music filled the area. A series of shivers ran up Ness' entire body. And so it began.

" _Ninten, you owe me so much more that four dollars and fifty two cents..._ " Ness thought. It was time to recite pi again. He tried, but he couldn't even remember the first ten digits.

He spent the entire first song staring at the monitor, watching everyone else go about their business. He only felt more and more lightheaded and nauseous as the show progressed. Everything seemed to be going smoothly from what he could see. Apart from the usual voice crack or line biff, it was actually turning out okay. Every once in a while, Ness would see people he recognized. Tony, Ana, and Paula were all in the ensemble. Every time he could pick out their faces, he felt a little calmer. He could even see Lucas up there every once in a while, for he'd be in charge of some set changes. He hadn't seen the show before this, and he hadn't expected it to look this good. He wondered if he'd look that good up there.

His period of calmness had to come to a stop eventually, and it did. The song right before his first entrance was half over.

Ness closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He remembered what Lucas had said. He'd be up there with him. He turned away from the monitor and walked to the left stage wing, where he would soon enter from. Another scene partner of his looked at him, smiled, and gave him a thumbs up. He gratefully smiled back and nodded. At least he had support.

Despite his heartbeat having increased in speed and breathing becoming harder to do, Ness somehow found the motivation to get on that stage.

The moment he felt light hit his face, everything seemed to go in slow motion. Ness looked out, and could see what looked like endless people sitting before him. Nearly every pair of eyes in the house was focused on him. But strangely, he wasn't scared anymore. He felt oddly calm. For the first time, Ness didn't simply want to get this over with. He felt a familiar buzz; the same buzz he got when walking onto a baseball field at the start of a game.

As the world around him began to ramp back up, Ness followed the simple movement he'd done many times before.

" _Pause centre stage, go stage left. Pause centre stage, go stage left. Pause centre stage, go stage left..._ " He repeated in his head multiple times. Upon following the light cue, he walked to the centre of the set and stood there for a few moments, acting out the motion of observing the area. Then, he slowly made his way to upstage left, out of the way of the main scene about to take place.

" _Huh!_ " He thought, " _That went smoothly._ " He oddly found himself craving the feeling of the spotlight again.

As the main scene carried on in front of him, Ness was approached by a scene partner, and the two engaged in a fake background conversation. The other student was playing another lead role.

"Ness, dude. How you feeling?" Asked the other student, voice hushed.

"Pretty good!" Ness replied, also whispering.

"Awesome. You're lookin' great up there, man."

"Thanks. You're rocking Enjolras."

The other student grinned, and turned away upon hearing his cue. Ness followed him, taking short, shallow breaths. His throat felt closed up. The two of them made their way up to a high platform on the set. Upon standing up tall and looking out over the house, blinded by lights and surrounded by a crowding cast, that was when Ness realized what Ninten had meant. He felt it. He suddenly forgot his fear, and had a new sense of self confidence as his first sung line drew closer. He took a long, drawn out breath. It was all on him now.

So, he sang.

Ness had never heard himself sound like  _that_  before. Ness felt like he could be heard from all corners of the stage.

And it was  _fantastic._

And then, it was over. He was done for the next twenty seconds or so. Apart from falling behind just a bit in the music, he kept himself on track. To his surprise, he didn't mess up a single line in the verse.

" _This is going okay!_ " He thought as he walked back to his stage left position. " _Alright...talk to Eponine, walk away. Talk to Eponine, walk away._ "

He turned to see another female cast mate approach him; Eponine. As they ran through the scripted duet, just out of the corner of his eye, Ness could see Lucas. He was facing the other way, pretending to converse with another character. He found himself smiling. He finished his last line, and walked away.

" _Turn around, bump into Cosette. Turn around, bump into Cosette. Turn around..._ " Routinely, Ness turned around, and he slightly ran into the scene partner he'd been looking forward to; Lucas. As Lucas had rehearsed, he pretended to drop a prop book he was carrying. Ness bent down and picked it up, handing it to him.

When he met the eyes of his friend, all lit up in the stage lights, Ness was captivated. He just couldn't look away from those gentle, blue doe eyes.

"Pardon me," He murmured. His only spoken line in the whole show.

"Think nothing of it." Lucas replied in a soft voice.

Ness amused himself; how coincidental that he was playing the role of a hopeless romantic pining over someone completely out of his league. Seems that he'd already nailed that trait. 

The rest of the first act seemed to go by in a blur. With the simple, recycled melodies and the basic movement, Ness found the entire ordeal to be much easier than he thought. And before he knew it, the final harmony of the last song had finished, and the stage went black. As he stood on the dark set, taking in the applause, he'd almost forgotten that he had to exit.

"It's not over yet..." He muttered to himself. He still had an entire Act 2 to go through.

Upon finally reaching backstage, he collapsed against a wall, hands over his face in relief. He wondered if he'd done alright, but the chorus of praise from his fellow cast mates told him the answer. He saw a single hand held out to him, offering help.

"Hey Ultra, need assistance?" It was Paula. Ness grinned, and stood up shakily with her help. He almost fell back when Paula suddenly hugged him around the waist, going so far as to pick him up off the floor slightly.

"Ah! Paula...!" Ness laughed as she set him back down.

"That was so goooood! Are you hyped?"

"Yeah! I'm excited!" He replied, "Hey, have you seen Lucas anywhere?"

"Oh, Cupcake? He's trapped on the other side of the theatre for now. He's in the other backstage area; we won't really be seeing him until after the show. Why? You just wanna go talk to him?"

"You could put it like that, yeah."

"Well, just wait till the shows over, then you've got all the time in the world. Listen, you're rocking it, okay?"

Thanks, Princess. See you after the curtain closes." He waved as she sped off.

Ness, realizing that he had fifteen minutes until the next act, rushed to the men's dressing room and immediately dug through his backpack to search for his phone. Upon grabbing it, he checked the screen to find three unread messages from Ninten.

**-How's it going?**

**-Did you die?**

**-Text me when it's intermission.**

Ness quickly sent a reply.

' _intermission now. dude this is insaaaane tbh_ '

It didn't take long for Ninten to respond.

**-Are you having fun, tho? :3 :3**

_'kinda yah'_

**-How'd Act one go?**

' _Good. quick question: is it 'the light of the sun' or 'the life of the sun'?'_

**-She has burst like the music of angels, the 'light' of the sun.**

' _Thx_ '

**Good luck! Pls tell me how it goes after :3**

Ness put his phone back into his bag and stood there for a while, reflecting. He was incredibly surprised at how well this was going. Apart from a few minor slip ups that probably no one even noticed, Ness felt like he'd done almost everything correctly. As he waited for the next places call, he once again craved the feeling of attention. He couldn't help but feel a  _bit_  more pride than he had before this.

Finally, the moment came where a places call was announced, and Ness was the first one at the front of the wing, excitedly waiting for his next cue. This time, he was to be the first one onstage. Another schoolmate across from him noticed his excitement.

"You look ready." She pointed out.

"I was born ready." Ness said confidently.

"Good attitude. Let's knock 'em dead."

"Let's  _do it!_ "

Once again that night, the audience fell silent. Ness listened intently for the opening music to begin. And once it did, he was quick to reach his starting place; behind a set piece. He knew that Lucas had a few verses to himself before he entered the scene. Once he heard his friends voice, Ness closed his eyes and listened. His singing, by a technical definition, wasn't spectacular. He still had a long way to go. But to Ness, it was every beautiful sound mixed into one, soft tone. He slowly made his way out from behind the set, following the girl playing Eponine close behind.

Ness once again felt a rush of excitement upon walking onstage. He looked over towards Lucas, who stood on a higher platform than where he was. As he began reciting his own lines, he felt his face grow warm. Maybe it was just the lights. This was the only time he'd really get to act exactly how he felt towards his friend, so he knowingly began to put his heart and soul into his performance as it went on.

It was about time for  _that_  scene.

He locked eyes with his friend, once again being pulled in by his gaze. He took a step forward. Upon seeing a small smile cross Lucas' face, Ness couldn't help but smile himself. Even though he knew it was only acting, he felt plenty of impact. Come to think of it; Ness wasn't even acting.

He wondered how Lucas was feeling right now. It obviously must've been scary for him. But Ness couldn't find any fear in his face. He was either a really good actor or genuinely unafraid. As the song went on, their lines eventually began to intertwine. Ness suddenly felt his hand being taken; he stifled a laugh. He'd forgotten one of his blocking instructions, which was to take Lucas' hand at one point. His friend had been right; the audience wouldn't have been able to notice.

The world around the pair seemed to disappear, almost. Ness felt his hands begin to shake, and eventually, his voice began to quiver. Lucas, in order to comfort him, took his other hand and squeezed to assure him that everything was fine. The sudden unblocked movement startled Ness, but he calmed down a bit soon after. Even though they were singing entirely different words, they had an entire conversation simply through their eye contact. Neither of them were quite sure what the conversation was about, but it was happening.

As the scene began to draw to a close, Ness gathered his wits and moved his right hand to Lucas' shoulder. He could feel it shaking. He was probably just as nervous.

" _Shit, Lucas, me too._ " He thought. He gently leaned over to touch his forehead against his friend's and felt his heart speed up again. He went through the familiar action of moving his hand from his shoulder to the side of his face. All he had to do was finish the song and then kiss him. Two steps. He'd done it before, so why was it so hard now? By the time the final note of the song drew to a close, Ness had begun moving forwards, but stopped hesitantly. He drew in his lower lip. " _God dammit. Fuck. Ness, you fuckin' pussy._ " He mentally scolded himself. He heard a bit of quiet laughter from a few audience members, who had all noticed.

Lucas smirked. Seeing that Ness had panicked, he took matters into his own hands. He straightened up onto the tips of his toes and kissed him instead.

Ness stumbled back, caught off guard by the sudden gesture. A few teasing "Oooooooohs" came from the audience. He could easily pick out Kumatora's voice. After composing himself, Ness closed his eyes, tilted his head, and leaned into it. For a quick few seconds, he had forgotten that he was in a show, in front of nearly two hundred people. For the next little while, the school would  _not_  let him forget about this. But Ness didn't mind; he didn't want to forget. He didn't want to end it.

It seemed that Lucas didn't want to pull away either, because the two stayed like that for many more seconds than they were blocked to. Ness was the one to realize this, and quickly pulled away, embarrassed by the very audible ' _smeck_ ' sound that came with it. He caught Lucas' eye for just a second; he was trying not to laugh just as much as Ness was.

And with that, they carried on.

After getting through the one scene Ness had been the most scared of, he was convinced he could do the rest of the show smoothly and correctly.

And up until the very final bow, that's exactly what he did.

* * *

Once the entire cast had exited offstage, a loud cheer rang through the area. Ness was instantly swarmed with hugs from people he didn't even know, and an endless stream of congratulations and thanks. He almost teared up at all of the positive feedback. However, he realized that he'd forgotten to look for someone else.

"Lucas!" He called over the chatter.

"Hey! Ness? Ness, wait for me...!" Lucas' voice was just barely audible from the other side of the room.

Once the two spotted each other, they instantly broke into a sprint and wrapped themselves into a tight hug (much to the entertainment of a group of girls nearby, who were watching their every move).

" _Aaaaah!_  Ness, you were so  _gooood!_ " Lucas squealed.

" _You_  were so good!" Ness protested.

" _We_  were so good! I'm just  _so_  happy, you have no idea!" Lucas continued to shriek. He pulled away, excitedly jumping up and down. "Come on! C'mon c'mon, let's go back out there and see everyone!" He insisted, grabbing Ness' hand and pulling him along. Ness decided to willfully follow.

The first people they saw waiting in the theatre was Kumatora, Claus, and Travis. Claus instantly screamed and threw himself at Lucas, where they began talking over each other in enthusiastic banter. Kumatora and Travis approached Ness. They said nothing. Kumatora had a smug grin on her face.

Ness sighed and rolled his eyes. "There. You saw us do it. How was that for a stage kiss?" He laughed a bit.

"Kinda hot." Kumatora said without any hesitation. "Sorry, lemme rephrase that. Replace 'kinda' with 'really'."

"Wow, you have zero filter whatsoever." Replied Ness. Kumatora snickered and lightly punched him. Travis stepped forward, a soft smile on his face.

"I cried." Was all he said.

"He's not lying. This bitch was  _sobbing_  at every death there was." Kumatora insisted. Travis nodded, agreeing with her.

The group of five friends continued to chat about the events of that night. That was, until Lucas walked across the previously formed circle and touched Ness' arm.

"Hm? What's up?" Asked Ness. Lucas smiled.

"You wanted to talk earlier. Let's go before I forget." He suggested.

"I've gotta drive these two home anyways." Kumatora said, holding up her car keys. "You guys go ahead; we'll see you later. And good job tonight!" The two friends watched as the others walked away, and waved. Lucas turned back towards Ness.

"So, you wanna tell me what's up? Or do you wanna go back to a quiet place?" He asked.

"O-oh! Um...well, Lucas, I don't really think that..." Ness trailed off of his sentence upon noticing Lucas' expression change. He looked strangely alarmed, his gaze just barely passing over Ness' shoulder. "What?" He asked. He slowly turned to see what his friend was staring at.

It took Ness a moment to process. He took a cautious step back, instinctively putting an arm out in front of Lucas.

"Nesley."

He was looking at his father.

Ness expected to wake up seconds later from a dream, but alas, it was real. For some reason, his dad had come. Ness, both in fear for himself and for Lucas, swallowed nervously.

"...Dad." He acknowledged, receiving a nod back. "Not to be rude or anything, but, uh...why're you here?" Ness asked. To show he wasn't afraid, he added, "I mean, you've already made it pretty clear you want nothing to do with me."

"I came to speak with you." His father replied. He seemed a bit more absent minded than his usual, put together persona. Ness eyed him, unsure of whether he wanted to just leave or not. He glanced back at Lucas, who was obviously completely out of ideas on what to do. Upon looking back at Dale, he narrowed his eyes.

" _Only_  to talk?"

"Yes."

" _...Alone?_ "

"I'd prefer that."

Another period on uncertain silence.

Ness' blood ran cold when he realized; his father must've seen the show. He saw everything. He definitely saw the more...intimate ones. A thought came into his head that perhaps his dad was here to once again lecture him on changing. However, upon observing his face, he didn't have an expression of malice. He looked tired, and...oddly sad. Upon further inspection, Ness realized his father looked miserable. He wondered, in the back of his mind, could he possibly be here for a good reason?

Ness decided to test the waters.

"You do know it's a little sketchy to just randomly come up to me after...you know?" He challenged.

"I know it's out of nowhere, but I heard through your mother that you were taking over Nelson Trinh's role in this show, so your sister and I decided to come see it." Dale replied. Ness' eyes brightened.

"Wait, Tracy's here?!" He cried, "Where is she? Dad, I gotta see her, it's been, like, weeks!"

"She's back over at the seats. Give me a moment." Dale took a few steps back and looked out into the slowly emptying house. He called her name. "Tracy? Come here, your brother's here."

Almost immediately, Tracy's familiar face peeped from behind the seats. She and Ness both gasped, before rushing to each other. Ness dropped to his knees and let his sister crash into him. He wrapped his arms around her as tightly as he could. It felt like it had been an eternity since he'd last seen her.

"Ack...! Nesley, you're squishing me!" Tracy squealed.

"Oh!" Ness loosened his arms, "Sorry, I missed you."

"I missed you too."

Although Ness felt his eyes sting, he wasn't about to let himself cry in front of his younger sister. He grit his teeth and held her close. However, he felt Tracy slightly pulling away from the hug. He released her.

"What's wrong?" He asked. Tracy's face broke into a smug, playful smirk. She pointed at him.

" _You kissed Lu-cas! And I sa-awww you! And it was gro-ss! He's your boy-friend!_ " She continued to tease him in a projected singsong voice. Ness' eyes widened.

"W-what?! Tracy, shhhh! Nonononono, let's not...wow, thanks. Thank you  _so_  much." He bashfully turned away from the other patrons who noticed her chanting, some of which even laughed a bit. Ness even snickered himself. "Alright, alright, I think that's enough of your gossip." He turned to look back at Lucas, who was obviously trying not to laugh. "Who's side are you  _on?_ " Ness asked. Lucas only shrugged.

Even Dale had a faint, amused smile on his face. He turned to his daughter. "Tracy." He said.

"Mmhmm?" Tracy replied, looking up at him.

"I need to talk with your brother about something, so you're not gonna see him for a few minutes." He explained, before directing his attention to Lucas, "Would you mind watching my daughter while I talk with my son?"

Lucas, overwhelmed, only nodded his head.

"Uh, but before we do that, how about me and Luc go get out on our costumes, yeah? Then I'll come back out here and he can get Tracy." Ness suggested.

"So you're saying you will talk with me?" Asked Dale. Ness sighed, and hesitantly nodded.

"Yeah. I'll meet you back out here." He confirmed.

"Alright, then. I'll wait."

Ness turned to his friend, who sent him a terrified glance. He motioned for him to follow him backstage. The two of them didn't say a word until they reached the men's dressing room, which was now empty. That was when Lucas lost it.

"Um?!  _What?!_  Ness, you said it yourself! This is sketchy! Why on Earth would he be here for any other reason than to chew you out some more?" Lucas cried, beginning to pace around the room.

"Lucas! Dude! It's fine. I know this is gonna sound crazy, but I think he wants to talk peacefully. I could be wrong, but I think he might wanna get some stuff figured out." Ness suggested, while changing out of his costume and into his normal clothes.

"I mean, sure, maybe. Ness, I do trust, you. Just...please be careful. Promise me?"

"Yeah, of course."

"And if any red flags show up, text me."

"Okay, Lucas."

By the time the two boys were back in their normal clothing, the theater was empty. Ness approached his father, who stood in the same spot he was before. This time, he had his back turned, and he was having a conversation with Tracy, who noticed them.

"There he is!" Tracy pointed. She ran to Lucas and took his hand excitedly. "Where're we going?"

"We're just gonna wander around a bit while your dad talks with Ness, okay?" Lucas replied.

"Kay."

As Tracy began to lead him away, Lucas turned to Ness, who gave him an assuring look. Lucas bit his lip, and nodded. Ness watched them go until they exited, and then it was quiet. He slowly turned to face his father.

"Sit." Instructed Dale, gesturing to a chair.

"Yes si-" Ness paused. Did he really need to call him that? "...Dad."

Ignoring the unimpressed look cast towards him, Ness sat down, making sure to spread his legs and sit as sprawled out as possible. He looked up at his dad, who sat beside him.

"Sit properly."

"I  _like_  sitting this way."

A few seconds of nothing.

"Fine."

"What do you need to talk about?" Ness decided to remind him why he was there.

Dale sighed, looking back in the direction Tracy and Lucas had left. "You may remember that there was an accident at the workplace; they've given me a few weeks off. This has given me plenty of time to talk to your mother, and your sister."

"Is this about Tracy?" Ness leaned forward.

"Yes." Another pause, "We've decided that your sister can't be under our care anymore. She will be sent to live with your grandparents."

Ness' eyes widened. He opened his mouth to protest, but couldn't find any words. He shook his head. "You can't."

"We have to."

"Why?! Tracy's  _eight years old_ , she needs proper care! Dad, you really think they're fit to raise a kid? " Ness cried.

"Do you think  _we_  are fit to raise her?" Dale replied, voice only raising a bit. Ness said nothing. He continued, "I'm going to admit something. Eighteen years ago, when your mom had you...we weren't ready. We didn't know what we were doing. See, you weren't exactly planned."

Ness' jaw dropped, only a bit. "Wait...I was an accident?"

"...Yes." His father confirmed, "But we kept you, because...well, because we loved you. And we thought we could do it. And for the first nine or so years, we could."

"But Tracy..."

" _She_  was planned. But you already know that was around the time I got more involved with our city. Both me and your mother only got busier. We've realized that without you in the house, Tracy has no one."

"Are you trying to guilt me into coming back?"

"No. You're on your own path. I'm encouraging you to be on your own. But because Tracy is alone most of the time now, we've made our decision. Until your mother and I get back on our feet, she's staying with them."

"Dad, she  _hates_  it there! She wouldn't last a day, she...! We'll figure something out. Here, um..."

Ness went silent, unsure of what else to say. He looked down at the ground. He loved his sister more than life itself, and couldn't think of anything he wouldn't do for her. There had to be another way. She was young, she was vulnerable, and she was growing. She deserved care. He had to make a decision. After a few seconds of thinking to himself, he did.

"...I'll take her." He murmured, still staring at the ground.

"Pardon?"

"I-I'll take her. I'm eighteen, I'm legally considered an adult. She'll come live with me. All I need is financial support." Ness decided. His father stared back at him, stunned.

"Nesley, you may be an adult, but you're also still a young one. I'd allow it, but also remember that you also live with someone."

"He won't care! I'll go talk to Ninten in the hospital tomorrow, and I know he'll say yes. Dad, he _loves_  kids, and he's really good with them. He'd adore Tracy." Ness assured. He clasped his hands in anticipation. "Dad, p-please. If Tracy went to go live with our grandparents, she'd be miserable."

His father didn't say anything. When seeing him staring at the floor in thought, Ness noticed how much his parent actually resembled him. The same dark skin and black hair. He'd never gotten the chance to observe him like this. Come to think of it, this was the longest conversation he'd had with him in the past few months, apart from their fight weeks ago.

Ness' spirits lifted when Dale leaned back, obviously ready to give in.

" _Madre mía..._ " He muttered, brushing his hair back, "I'll make a deal. If your roommate confirms with both you and me that he is okay with this, then I'll allow Tracy to stay with you for the next few months. Your mother and I will provide the funds."

"Aw, sick! Thanks, dad! I promise, she's gonna love it. You won't regret this!" Ness exclaimed. His father only nodded in response, with a smile just barely noticeable on his face.

Ness expected him to get up and walk away, but he didn't move. Ness suspected that the conversation wasn't quite over. He narrowed his eyes.

"...That's not all you wanted to talk about, is it?" He asked.

"It...it isn't, no."

Ness could already tell what he was going to bring up.

"Well, I'm listening." Ness said.

They waited in silence for no more than ten seconds before Dale shifted his position, leaning over with his elbows resting on his knees. A very closed off position, Ness noticed. His father was known as being a very proud man. But what he was seeing was the opposite.

"...Not only did your mother and I get a chance to talk about Tracy, we also got to talk about you." He explained, "Particularly, your...feelings."

Ness froze. So his mom  _did_  know after all. His father continued.

"At first, she wasn't sure of what to think. You know your mom, she likes to delve deep. I'll admit that she handled this a little more maturely than I did." He said, "The first thing she did was look up...goodness, Nesley, correct me. You're  _gay_ , right?"

"It's called 'bisexual'." Ness answered.

"And that means both, right? Boys and girls?"

"Yeah."

"I see. Well, she looked it up. And she spent almost two hours reading about it. This was never something we'd considered, or had even bothered to consider. Neither of us are very educated in this particular topic."

"Heh...that's okay, neither am I." Ness was surprised at how calm Dale was discussing this. He got a good feeling; one that said that maybe, something had changed.

"Hm." His father continued, "Anyways, she sat me down and we had a long conversation about it. She said she'd joined a Facebook group centered around parents with children who feel the same way you do. And she made sure to tell me that my reaction was...not the best."

"A  _little_  bit, yeah." Agreed Ness.

"In the end, she convinced me to attend a weekly support event for parents like us. And...well, I guess I learned a thing or two." Dale admitted. Ness had never once heard his father open up like this before. He made weak eye contact. "Nesley, I want you to clarify something."

"Y-yeah, okay." Said Ness, a little scared.

"These...feelings you have, of who you love. You can't control it?"

"Not even a little. Trust me, I've tried."

"And...me being distant...me being the way I've been recently..." A pause, "...This isn't helping you at all."

"I'm sorry, but it really isn't."

Another pause. Dale nodded, understanding. He hesitantly began to speak again.

"What...what can we do, 'we' being me and your mother, what can we do to help?"

Ness hadn't been expecting that. He blinked, before processing what he'd said. The trembling in his hands lessened.

"Umm..." He thought, "I never really thought about that. I guess I just need...you know, support, I guess. I just need to be able to be myself without being criticized."

"We predicted you would say something like that. That being said..." Dale sighed, as if being uncertain of what he was saying, "Nesley, listen. I don't understand this, okay? I don't get it. I don't get why you can't just stick to girls and be done with it. But believe me, I'm trying to. I really am, and so is your mom. Neither of us understand, but..." He trailed off, "...We're your parents. And I know we haven't done a good job of showing it lately, but we  _do_  love you. And we're behind you one hundred and ten percent, even if we don't exactly get it."

Ness stared at him, mouth slightly open in shock. He felt his eyes just barely sting, but he managed to keep his cool. He couldn't remember the last time he'd heard something like that from him. The last memory he had of an "I love you" from him was when he was younger than his sister.

"Wow, dad..." He murmured, "That's... actually really cool, that you're doing that. Th-thanks."

Once again, his father only nodded.

"You know, this has been the longest we've talked in a long time." Ness said. "Even when you're teaching piano, we don't talk this much."

"Is that so?" Dale sounded nervous, knowing that he was being called out.

"Yeah. Ever since you started enrolling me in every class you could get your hands on." Ness laughed a bit. He saw his dad draw in his lip, obviously offset by the comment.

Ness' brow furrowed. He felt a sense of dread that was all too familiar. His heartbeat began to pick up the pace. He was going to do it. He was going to bring up something that had been nagging at him for the past eight years. He drew in a long, shaky breath.

"You remember." Was all Ness had to say. "I know you do. That night."

All went silent. Ness continued to stare him down, feeling power for once. The seconds dragged on, and the tension in the air only grew. A single sound broke the silence; Dale's voice.

"Yes." He murmured, in a voice that sounded weak and oddly vulnerable. "Yes, I remember."

" _Why didn't you say anything?_ " Ness responded almost immediately, accidentally putting force in his voice.

"...I was waiting for you to bring it up."

"I was _ten!_  I was a little kid, dad! What made you think I'd be brave enough to do that? You're an adult, and you couldn't act like one?" Ness challenged. "That's why you signed me up for everything and anything, isn't it?"

"That's true, because I was...I was..."

"You were  _what?_ Scared?"

" _Yes._ "

Ness focused on the defeated man before him. A usually tall and intimidating man was now pathetically staring at the floor.

"I was scared. O-of you. I didn't want to have to look you in the eyes. I felt that if you were gone more, we'd both be able to forget." Dale admitted.

Ness slowly shook his head, horrified that his suspicions had been true.

"Dad..." He breathed, "...That's  _fucked up_. Like, that's another level of crazy."

"I know..."

"Do you realize how many years I went thinking you  _hated_  me?"

"I-I don't, but...Nesley, at that time, I didn't realize how cowardly that actually was. But I'm older now, and I can admit it. I don't want your pity, and I'm not trying to make you forgive me. Listen, I'll say it. I'm nothing short of scum, alright? I-I pretend to be strong when I'm not even close. I neglected my wife, I neglected my son, I neglected my daughter, all for the sake of escaping what I'd done. I've sunk so low that even my teenage son is stronger than me. And I know that I can never fix it...At the end of the day, I hurt my boy..." His father's voice suddenly shook at that last part. Ness could tell that he was fighting back tears. "Like I said, I'm not asking you to forgive me. After this, you can walk right out of this school and never speak to me again. But all I'm asking of you is that you hear it. Let me give you an apology that's years overdue. Please?"

Ness eyed him reluctantly. He wanted to brush him off. But he knew that his father was being sincere. So he bowed his head.

"I'm listening." He said.

"Nesley, I mean this with every inch of my being. You deserve so much more than this, but I promise that after this, I'll work to make sure you get more than this. But all I can say for now is one word. It's only one, but it's backed up by all of my honesty." For the first time, Dale made direct eye contact with Ness, "...I'm...I'm sorry. For everything."

Although the apology was simple and short, Ness could hear his desperation. He bit his lip, uncertain.

"Dad..." He began, "I don't forgive you. I probably won't for a while now. You  _hurt_  me.  _Bad_. But..." Ness smiled, his eyes softening, "Someone really important to me taught me that you choose who you forgive, and forgiveness takes time. But most of all, it takes effort. Both you and I will have to work for this, okay? What I'm saying is...I accept your apology. I want to forgive you. But I'm gonna need you to work with me."

"I'll do whatever it takes, then." Dale agreed, "Like I said, you're my son. And I love you. I really do. I promise."

"...Well, then I believe you."

The two held awkward eye contact for a few seconds. Ness scooted forwards a bit, before hesitantly putting a hand on his father's arm and laying his head against his shoulder in an odd attempt at a side hug. Dale, unsure of what to do, reluctantly wrapped his arms around him. He didn't pull him in; he was too scared to. But this was enough. It was awkward, but it was there.

He hadn't hugged his son in over ten years. It felt nice.

"Is that all?" Ness asked, after backing up again.

"...Yes, I think." His father replied. Ness nodded, and began to stand up. He was suddenly stopped, "Nesl-" Dale paused, "...Ness?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you...do you think...maybe tomorrow evening, you'd like to stop by and visit? Your mother misses you a lot. Maybe you could stay for dinner. It'll be just the four of us. You, me, your mom, and your sister. Do you think...um...would you like that?" Dale asked, fidgeting.

"Oh, um..." Ness grinned, nervously, "Yeah. Yeah, I'd really like that. I can come by at around 7, if you want."

"That's perfect."

"Alright then. See you tomorrow, I suppose."

Before anyone could say anything else, the shrill voice of Tracy could be heard just down the hallway. The father and son looked at each other, both smirking. They approached the exit, and were instantly greeted by the girl, who ran to her brother and hugged him around the waist.

"Jesus...!" Ness whispered, nearly toppling over. "Hey, Trace..." He laughed.

Not long answer, Lucas came jogging into the room, noticeably out of breath.

"Your sister..." He panted, "...Is the  _fastest_...human being...on this planet..."

"Is she, now?" Asked Dale, once again returning to his usual demeanor. Lucas' face went slightly pale, as it always did when he was near him. He quickly composed himself and stood up straight. Before he could say anything, he was offered an open hand. "Lucas, you're a very talented young man. I see a bright future ahead for you."

Lucas opened his mouth, but no words came out, only a few squeaks. "Oh...!" He nervously shook his hand, "Thank you! Thank you, sir!" He breathed.

"Tracy, come. We need to get you home." Dale said, reaching out an arm to pull Tracy towards him. The two of them began to walk to the exit, Tracy looking back and waving the whole time. Suddenly, before they left their view, Dale stopped, and turned back around. "...Ness?"

"Yeah?" Replied Ness.

"...I thoroughly enjoyed the performance tonight." Said his father, "...I'm...I'm proud of you."

And with that, he left. Even after he'd gone, Ness still watched the doorway, shocked. Lucas approached him and put a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"Is everything...all good? Did you two talk it out? Does he...you know, accept you now?" He asked.

"He's getting there. What matters is that he's trying." Replied Ness.

The events of that night had begun to pile up in his mind, and he wanted nothing more than to go to sleep. Now that the nerve wracking show was over and he'd actually gotten somewhere with his father, it felt like a massive weight had been lifted from his shoulders. A mellow smile crossed Ness' face. He turned to his friend.

"Do you need a ride home?" He asked.

"That would be appreciated."

"Alright."

Ness went home with a good feeling in his mind. As he entered the empty apartment, kicked off his shoes, and tossed his bag to the side, the feeling only got better. He made his way into his room and carelessly fell onto his bed, instantly savouring the feeling of just lying down. He stretched his arms above his head and groaned in satisfaction. Today had just been a good day.

Feeling a new sense of self worth, Ness slowly and peacefully drifted into sleep.


	13. Plot Twist

"Alright, Tracy, here it is."

Ness took his hand away from his sister's eyes and let her look around the apartment.

" _Whaaaaat?_  It's so small!" She cried, amazed.

"It's tiny, I know. But do you like it?" Ness asked.

"Yes! This is gonna be so fun! I'm living with my big brother and his friend!" Tracy ran into the apartment and excitedly spun around a few times, before facing her brother and Ninten, who was at his side. "It's like you two are my dads, but not really."

Ness glanced at his friend, who rolled his shoulders suggestively. Ness scoffed and pushed him away, before walking over to his sister.

"Alright, Tracy. You go ahead and look around, I'll talk to Ninten for a while." He said.

"Kay!"

As Tracy walked away to explore the area, Ness faced Ninten again.

"Dude, again, you have no idea how much this means to me. Thanks for letting her stay with us for a few months." He said. Ninten waved a hand to dismiss him.

"Don't even mention it, hun. Your sister's a total sweetie pie." Said Ninten.

"Speaking of her, I have some stuff you need to know; when I'm not around at night, she has to be in bed by nine O'clock, or else she oversleeps. She knows how to get to school by herself, so don't worry about that. Also, don't even be in the same  _room_  as her if you have peanuts, because she is seriously allergic. She's also scared of mice, clowns, and the movie 'Fantasia', so just be careful. She takes meds for her ADHD, so if you see a little orange bottle, don't touch. Also..."

Ninten only stood and listened as Ness continued to ramble, nodding every once in a while to show that he was listening. A small, teasing smirk crossed his face. Ness noticed this, and stopped suddenly.

"What's with the grin?" He asked.

"Nothing, it's just..." Ninten shrugged, "...You're being cute. It's cute, watching you fret about Tracy. I wish my sisters still talked to me." He sighed. He winced suddenly, and looked down at his leg, which was now in a cast. "This thing is gross."

"Well, you're alive, and that's what counts." Ness caught his sister looking out of the balcony window, in awe at the street below. He smiled, "Cool, yeah?"

"We're up  _really_  high." Tracy breathed. "I like it here."

"That's good," Said Ness, "Now I know it's kinda late in the day, but do you still wanna go to school?"

"Mmhmm," Tracy nodded, "I gotta go to class. We're practicing for the end of the year recital today."

"Alright, then we'd better get going. I can drive you."

And with that, the three of them made their way to the ground floor; or rather, Ness and Tracy sprinting as fast as they could just to make fun of Ninten, who was desperately trying to keep up with crutches. After Ninten and Tracy battled over who would take shotgun (which Tracy won), the three of them were in the car and on the road. The entire way to the elementary school was filled with loud singing with the radio and nonsense conversations. Since the school was particularly close to the apartment building, they reached their destination in no more than ten minutes.

"Bye, Tracy! Be sure to give your teacher my note, yeah?" Ness called to his sister once she was out of the car.

"Yah, okay! Bye!" Tracy waved and began to jog to her school, before disappearing into the entrance.

Ness watched her go for a moment, smiling to himself, but was taken out of his thoughts when Ninten had spontaneously decided to crawl into the passenger's seat. Of course, his broken leg wasn't helping.

"Ninten...!" Ness backed up to avoid being hit, "Dude, if you mess up my car...I swear."

"I won't," Ninten grunted, having flopped over onto his chest, struggling to pull his cast through the space between the two sets of seats. For the next thirty seconds or so, Ness watched, a hand to his temple, as Ninten continued to thrash around in a desperate attempt at getting to the front. Once he was safely sitting upright, he sighed in relief. "There! That was easy."

"Ninten?"

"Yeah?"

"You _literally_  could've opened the door, walked out, and gotten into the front."

Ninten's eyebrows knitted.

"Oh." He murmured, "That would've been a lot easier."

Ness laughed and shook his head. He leaned back and let his head fall to the side. After helping Tracy gather her things and carrying all of it to the apartment, he was pretty tired. He glanced at Ninten, who was also leaning back.

"You goin' to school today?" Ness asked.

" _Pfffft_ , no? Any day I get an excuse to be absent, I'm takin' it."

"I'll skip with you, then." Ness looked back at the school again, "Now, you sure you're cool with this? I mean, you and I are now  _legal guardians_  of a kid. For the next few months, at least."

"Of course. I wouldn't have said yes if I wasn't! I don't know if you know this, but "caretaker" is my middle name." Ninten insisted.

"I thought it was 'Thành?'"

"Bitch, don't ruin this for me."

Both boys laughed as Ness started up the vehicle again. Ninten put his arms behind his head and leaned back.

"So," He began, "I heard that your dad called your old modelling agent to try and get you back into the contract. How's that been going?" Ninten asked, looking at his friend with anticipation.

"Really good, actually! She emailed me earlier and said she wanted to offer me another spot." Ness explained.

"That's rad! We won't be poor anymore, dude! And with your family also helping out?" Ninten gleefully stuck a hand out the window, letting the rushing air blow it back, " _Nooo moooore ramen, nooo moooore ramen..._ "

He began to sing an improvised song. Ness laughed and joined him, making up lyrics as he went along. As they made their way through the city, they continued to happily sing about whatever came to their minds. That was, until Ninten suddenly gasped.

"What's up?" Asked Ness.

"Singing...music...musical... _the show!_ " Ninten exclaimed, excitedly glancing at his friend, "How'd the show go?! I can't believe I haven't asked about that yet!"

"So good, dude. So good. I biffed like...three lines, but that's okay." Ness explained.

"Right on...nothing went wrong at all?" Asked Ninten.

"Well, unless you include me chickening out during 'that' part, then no, nothing went wrong."

"Ouuuuccchhh. Well, that's okay. The audience doesn't know it's supposed to be there, it's okay if you didn't do it."

"No, no, we definitely kissed."

Ninten gasped again, much louder this time. He clapped his hands together.

" _Ah!_  Really?! You did?!" He cried. Ness rolled his eyes and scoffed at his reaction. He leaned back as he stopped at a red light.

"Psh, yah. No biggie." He muttered, trying his best to sound as disinterested as possible. However, when he turned to meet Ninten's eyes, he broke into a smile and joined him in an excited squeal, alerting one of the drivers next to them. Ness held up a hand of acknowledgement. "Sorry." He called. Once the light had turned green, Ness sped to get past the annoyed driver.

Once they had parked the car and walked into the apartment building, Ninten brought up the subject again.

"So, uh...you must've enjoyed it quite a bit, huh?" He smirked, giving Ness a suggestive look.

"Goodness, Ninten. I had a job, and I did it. It was only part of the blocking." Ness dismissed, trying to keep the smile off of his face and failing miserably.

"Well,  _excuuuse_  me, you were the one who just squealed like a little girl no more than five minutes ago."

Ness shot him a look from the side, pretending to look irritated, but grinned to himself shortly after. He couldn't deny that he'd enjoyed it. In fact, he couldn't stop thinking about it. He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that he'd kissed his best friend in front of a large portion of the school, as well as the public. He was slightly worried about possible controversy, but he tried not to think about it too much. He wondered if Lucas was pondering about it just as much as he was. Probably not.

Once entering the apartment, Ninten limped to the couch and flopped on to it, letting his face bury into a pillow. He flinched, feeling a familiar pain in his back.

"Ness?" He called, his words muffled by the pillow.

"Hm?" Ness replied, still putting his things away.

"Can you come over here and do that thing with your hands that makes my back be  _not_  sore?"

"Ninten, I'm a baseball player, not a Masseuse." Ness said. However, Ness gave in and sat down next to Ninten, who willingly sprawled across him, face down. Ness clicked his teeth and began to knead with his palms at the area near his shoulder blades. Ignoring his friends' uncomfortably loud groan of satisfaction, he continued, "Wow, this is strangely reminiscent of the other night when Claus was staying over."

Ninten looked back at him, eyes wide in both horror and shock.

"You heard us?!" He cried.

"I'm pretty sure the majority of the building could hear you two." Ness laughed when Ninten hung his head in shame. Ninten, obviously wanting to change the subject, started up a different conversation.

"So," He began as Ness continued his work, "You doing okay?"

"Huh?"

"You're hands; they're shaky."

Ness looked down and realized that Ninten was right. His hands were trembling ever so slightly. He hadn't noticed or felt it before. He flexed his fingers in order to keep them still. This worked for only a little bit. He sighed.

"I'm nervous." He admitted.

"About Lucas?" Ninten guessed. Ness didn't answer. "Don't start worrying. He's your friend, remember that. You don't need to be afraid of him or anything."

"I know, I know. It's not that I'm afraid of him, I'm just nervous every time I talk to him nowadays. My face gets all hot, and my hands shake, and my mouth gets dry, and I can't talk..." He explained.

"Are you sure that's  _all_  that happens?" Ninten smugly replied. Ness forcefully jammed his hand into Ninten's back, receiving a shriek of pain in response.

Before either of them could say anything else, a slight buzzing alerted the two. It took them only a few seconds to realize it was Ness' phone, which sat on the table. Ness leaned over to read the screen, before nearly shoving Ninten off of him.

" _Ah!_  It's Lucas!" He exclaimed, proceeding to tidy up his hair.

"You don't need to make yourself look presentable, it's a  _phone call!_ " Ninten responded, grabbing his friend and shaking him by the shoulder to snap him out of whatever trance he was in.

"Oh, right, rightrightright...!" Ness quickly grabbed his phone and swiped the screen to answer the call, and the room immediately went silent. "Hello?" He asked, his voice suddenly calm and composed. Ninten watched from the side, hands over his mouth in anticipation.

" **Ness! You're alive!** "

Hearing Lucas' voice almost made Ness freeze up again, but he managed to keep his cool.

"Uh, yah! Sorry, I forgot to text you...me and 'Ten have been helping Tracy move in."

" **Oh, that's right, the whole thing with your sister. How's that going?** " Lucas asked.

"Hectic, but fine. She's loving it so far." Ness replied, "So, I'm guessing it's lunch at the moment?"

" **Yeah, I figured I'd call you. Today has been crazy so far.** "

"Yeesh, I bet. How many jealous girls have come up to you?" Ness asked, a hint of teasing in his voice.

" **Oh, please. You fucking _love_  yourself, don't you?**" Lucas snickered with the same tone.

"Not as much as you, Lucas." Ness replied, trying not to sound too sincere.

" **Awww, thanks. I love you too, you're like my second brother.** "

Ness side glanced at Ninten, who flinched.

"Haha...yep." He murmured.

" **Well, I just wanted to check in. I'll see you.** "

"Yeah, see you."

As Ness hung up, he slowly doubled over and let himself hang, groaning out of frustration and disappointment. Ninten put a hand on his shoulder.

"Ouch, Ness. Like, seriously.  _Ouch._ " Ninten half teased, half sympathized.

"I give up. I'm officially straight. Starting tomorrow, I'm getting a girlfriend. I don't even know what boys  _are._ " Ness muttered.

"Oh, please. Stop being a baby. How about this: you go to school tomorrow, you go right up to him, take his hand, and  _tell him how you fucking feel_ , you absolute sissy!" Ninten exclaimed, his voice growing in volume.

"I am not a sissy!"

"If you weren't, you wouldn't find it all that difficult to say three words! That's it! I, love, and you.  _Three words!_ "

"Okay, it's not  _love_ , it's-"

" _Yes it is_ , stop lying. You're so in love, it makes me gag, you and your Disney lookin' ass."

"Fine, you know what? Next time I see him, I'll tell him."

"Good!"

" _Good!_ "

"Then you'll lose your title as the 'Biggest Wuss this Planet Has Ever Seen.'"

"I am not a wuss. I'm not even scared. Not even worried. Just  _watch me._ "

* * *

"Ninten, I'm so fucking scared, man...I can't do this..."

Ninten rolled his eyes and groaned. The two had just arrived at the school. Ninten's first priority was to find Lucas. However, Ness was making sure that they avoided him at all cost.

"Ness, omigod..." Ninten trailed off, "Look, I'm sorry for pushing you, okay? But if you were to ask for my advice, I'd say that if you put your mind to doing something, you should probably go do it."

"Maybe I can wait just one more day? Like, can I go get high first so that it's easier?" Ness muttered.

"Jesus, you're so helpless. All you need to do is look into those pretty little eyes of his and say it. Easy as pie." Ninten explained. Ness grinned a little and looked at the floor.

"He  _does_  have really nice eyes, doesn't he?" He murmured. Ninten only sighed. As they walked, Ninten began to notice something. He realized that quite a bit of attention was being directed towards them as they passed students. He guessed that maybe he was because of his crutches. He nudged his friend from the side.

" _Ness, why's everyone looking at us?_ " He whispered from the side of his mouth, pretending to look casual. Ness looked up, and began to notice it too. He furrowed his brow and pretended not to see it.

"I have no idea. Best to just not pay attention." Ness decided, "Hey, I gotta stop at my locker real quick. Gimme two seconds." He approached the unit and quickly unlocked it, shoving in a few textbooks.

As he did so, Ninten simply waited next to him, observing the hallway. He noticed a sudden group of girls approaching. They stopped nearby, waiting for Ness to finish what he was doing, anticipated smiles on their faces. It was as if they absolutely needed to talk to him. Ninten tapped his friend on the shoulder.

"Ness, you've got visitors." He said softly.

"Hm?" Ness looked up, and jumped a bit, startled by the sudden appearance of the girls. "Oh! Hey! What's...up...?"

"Hi, uh...Ness? We just wanted to..." One of the girls began, but trailed off. Her friend excitedly picked up.

"We just wanted to say...good for you." She said. Ness smiled.

"Thanks, heh." He said, pausing for a few minutes, "...Eh, for what?" He asked.

"For... _you know_. We just wanna tell you that you're  _so_  strong, and  _so_  brave. Just keep being yourself, yeah?" Said the first girl.

"Ummm...I have no idea what you're talking about." Ness nervously laughed a bit. The girls all looked at each other with sympathetic smiles.

"Awww, he's getting all shy about it..." Said the second girl, "You don't have to hide from us, okay? Here, we won't bug you anymore. Just...keep moving forward."

As the girls walked away giggling to each other, Ness and Ninten watched them go, perplexed expressions on their faces. They looked at each other.

"That was...weird." Ness said.

"A _little_  bit, yeah." Ninten agreed. Suddenly, the five minute bell rang, and the hallway began to empty. "Hey, listen, I'll see you later. Once you find out what amazing thing you did, tell me."

"Yeah, okay..." Ness waved goodbye to him and returned to putting away his things. Before he closed his locker, he caught a glance of his schedule. He had English first. His heart began to skip; that was the class he shared with Lucas. He decided that maybe waiting  _one_  more day would be alright. With that, he closed the door and set off on his way. Once again, almost every pair of eyes in the hallway seemed to be focusing on him. He couldn't help but like the attention, but he still wished he knew what the hell he did.

Even entering the English classroom put him in a spotlight. A particular group of students near the back watched him carefully as he crossed the room and approached the two desks he and Lucas sat at. Seeing that his friend was already there filled him with relief. As he sat down beside him, the group of students giggled and began to murmur to each other.

"Hey, Luc." Ness muttered.

"Hi. You sound just as uneasy as I feel." Lucas said with a weak smile.

"Have people been staring you down, too?" Asked Ness.

"All morning! I don't know what I did!" Whispered Lucas, his eyes slightly trailing across the room nervously, "I don't think I'm being unreasonable when I say this probably has something to do with the show last week." He guessed. Ness only nodded in agreement, as the teacher had entered the room.

Thankfully, the two shared the next class as well. But upon leaving the class after the second period bell rang, this prove to be troublesome. Shortly after they entered the hallway and began to walk side by side, attention slowly began to drift their way again. Lucas fixed his gaze on the ground, while Ness stared ahead, pretending not to notice. At this point, the two had caught wind as to what was going on. The two boys made sure to put at least a foot of space between them, so that no one else got any ideas.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Lucas was incredibly relieved when the second period bell rang, because it meant he had dance, and that meant he could see Paula. She always knew how to comfort someone. After saying a quick goodbye to Ness, he rushed out of the classroom and jogged to the studio, desperate to see his friend. Thankfully, she was already there, at the bench at the end of the room. Upon seeing Lucas approaching, she smiled.

"Hey, hun." She greeted sympathetically, "You look like you've heard the rumors."

"I don't even know what the rumors are!" Lucas replied, sitting next to her and kicking off his dress shoes. "But people have been...just  _staring_  at me all day."

"You don't know the gossip at all?" Paula asked, concerned.

"No. I don't think I want to, either." Lucas murmured. He grabbed his dance shoes out of his duffel bag and began to strap them into place. He glanced up at Paula, who fell silent, "What  _are_  the rumors?" He asked, his curiosity taking over. Paula sighed.

"Well, I've heard a variety of different things, but all of them have to do with you and Ness. Some people are saying you two are secretly dating. Some are saying that you two...well, y'know. But all of them boil down to some kind of intimate relationship going on."

"You're kidding." Lucas muttered. Paula shook her head. Lucas sighed, "Figures."

"Don't even pay attention to it. You know that our school will find something else to talk about sooner or later."

"I guess, but what I'm worried about is Ness. I'm not exaggerating when I say he's probably the most popular kid in the school. His reputation is a fragile one."

"Well, yes, but..."

"Not to mention, kids here love to blow things out of proportion. Remember when I bailed Ness out of being arrested? A rumor went around saying that he actually got put behind bars, and it grew so much that people were surprised to see him at school a few days later."

"Yeah, that was kinda crazy..." Paula murmured, "But at least this rumor is pretty harmless. First of all, it's a lot better than people believing you got put in jail. Second of all, Lucas, I dunno if this comes as a shock to you, but..." Paula leaned in close, " _...Pretty much the entire school knows you're gay._ " She whispered.

"Pffft...well,  _yah_ , I know, I'm pretty open about it." Lucas laughed, "It's Ness I'm worried about. He's not...you know,  _out_  yet."

Paula snapped her fingers, coming to a realization, "Fuck, that's right." She said, her voice hushed, "Well, I guess all we can do is wait. It'll die down, trust me."

Lucas thought for a moment, taking a deep breath, "Yah, you're right. I'm probably just overreacting."

He wasn't entirely sure if he was putting too much thought into this, or not enough. Paula was right; the rumor was harmless. But Lucas couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy about the situation. Not for himself, but for Ness. Ness often liked to play off as a self confident and stable person, but Lucas knew about how insecure his friend really was. He prayed that Ness wouldn't let a rumor get to him. But as Paula had said, all they could do was wait. And he was fine with plenty of waiting.

* * *

On the other side of the spectrum, Ness' day wasn't going entirely well either. It was during his lunch period baseball practice when he'd figured out the story circulating.

Upon arriving at the diamond field near the school, he didn't notice his teammates staring at first.

"Hey, guys..." Ness greeted as he set down his backpack. When he looked back up, he saw the others glancing at him with concerned faces. He eyed his co-captain, named Loid. "Uhhh...what's up?" He asked, with a bad feeling.

"Oh, um...! Nothing!" Loid raised his hands in assurance, "It's just...we wanted to say..." He trailed off, unsure of how to explain. He glanced at the other teammates for help.

"We just wanted to say that...we don't want anything to be weird around us, okay? You're still our captain, and our friend, right guys?" Finished another. This was met with nervous murmurs of agreement.

"That's right! Yeah! And...we don't want you to think we don't support you." Loid finished.

"Wow, that's really nice, but...what am I being supported for?" Ness asked, fearing the worst, but trying to sound oblivious.

"You know, the thing. With you. And Lucas. Being...together." Loid replied.

Ness went silent. He opened his mouth to say something, but found himself unable to. Everything started to make a little more sense now. His heartbeat began to quicken; he wasn't ready for the school to know his secret yet. The baseball team was his original next choice to come out to, but today was not the day.

"...Me and Lucas aren't a thing, you guys." Was all he could think of to say. His teammates looked at each other, more surprised than alarmed. Loid raised an eyebrow.

"Really?" He asked, "Like, seriously? It's all anyone has been talking about."

"Well, then it's a rumor. We're just friends, and that's it. Nothing more." Ness clarified, trying to sound as confident as possible. Loid shrugged.

"Geez, then you've got a lot of debunking to do. Have you checked your phone at all today? Everyone I know who has your number has texted you about it." He said.

"No, my phone's dead, I forgot to charge it," Ness trailed off, realizing he'd have to deal with this when he got home, "You know what? Can I ask a favour? Tell everyone you can that this is fake. I don't want Lucas to get all caught up with this."

"Well sure, Ness, we'll do what we can, but...it's stuff like that. Like what you just said; that's what makes people think you two have a thing going on." Loid explained.

"What do you mean?"

"Not to be mean or anything, trust me. But you two are close in a way that two guys usually aren't, you know?"

Ness thought to himself for a moment, "...Are we?"

"Yeah. And I get it, you're best friends. But everyone believes the rumor because...you kinda show behavior that couples do."

At first, Ness was confused. He and Lucas only ever acted like typical best friends, he couldn't think of anything they did casually that could be considered romantic. But then again, Loid was correct in some ways. He and Lucas  _were_  boys. Not only that, Ness was a sports kid. This kind of stuff could be expected from someone like Lucas, but from Ness...

Thinking about this, combined with the recent performance, Ness began to see where the rumors were coming from. They even had some validity to them, in some ways. But he didn't want Lucas to get mixed up in gossip. He took a moment to think. WPHS was far from a perfect school; people believed what they wanted to be true. How many people  _wanted_  the supposed relationship to be a real thing? But then again, how many people  _didn't_? A thought plagued his mind; if this rumor grew, like some did, Ness could be facing some serious teasing. Even worse,  _Lucas_  could. Although the majority of the school knew about Lucas' sexuality, that wouldn't stop other students from picking on him.

"Ness?" Loid's voice snapped him out of his trance, "Helloooo?"

"Ah..." Ness hummed, "Sorry, I zoned out. Loid, do you think...do you think that if me and Luc...backed up a little bit, the rumors would die down?"

"Probably. They most likely started because of the school musical. I mean, you flat out kissed the guy. No wonder people think you're  _dating_  him. If you keep more distance, then people will maybe get the idea." Loid suggested. Ness nodded.

"...That makes sense." He said to himself, "...Hm. Alright, uh...listen, I'd  _love_  to stay for practice, but..."

"Go ahead and take a breather, I'll be the captain today." Loid nodded, dismissing him.

" _Thank_  you." Ness put his hands together in a prayer position before snatching his bag up and jogging away. He wasn't sure where he was going, but he needed to clear his mind. He was still confused as to how he felt about this. He wasn't sure if he felt scared, upset, or even somewhat pleased. It was all more of a blur to him. Earlier in the school year, Ness had rumors swarming him constantly, and he hadn't given it a second thought. But now, he realized how strange it felt, to have everyone around him believe something completely untrue.

He simply wandered around the field for a solid twenty minutes, thinking to himself. As he did so, more and more thoughts began to invade. Being from such a well known family had obvious downsides, and this was one of them. There had already been whispers floating around the city about Tracy Wyman's older brother practically adopting her due to the unstable home life.

Then again, Ness felt like he was overthinking it. It was only a rumor. In about a week or so, it would die, and the school will have moved on to something else.

...Hopefully.

* * *

The end of the school day came surprisingly quick. Ness just wanted to go home, and that was it. Thankfully, Ninten had already packed up, and was ready to go. All Ness had to do was put away a few things, and they could leave. Ninten leaned against a nearby locker as Ness hastily finished up.

"You look like you really wanna go home." Ninten observed.

"Ya think? Today has been...well, not bad, not good, just... _weird._ " Replied Ness. Ninten only nodded.

"Understandable." He said.

Ness had only just closed his locker, when a familiar voice alerted the two. Ness' heart dropped when he realized it was Lucas.

"Hey, guys." Lucas greeted, his voice tired. He looked incredibly worn out, with his disheveled hair and untucked shirt.

"O-oh, hi," Ness replied. Ninten replied with only a wave.

"So, how's the day treating you so far?" Lucas asked, hugging a few textbooks to his chest.

"It was-" Ness went quiet almost instantly, being caught off guard by something; other students. Just as it had been all day, they wavered nearby, trying to hide the fact that they were watching the conversation. Ness spotted a group of other boys he'd see in the changing rooms sometimes, watching him from the side. He saw one of them snicker.

Suddenly, a strange feeling of claustrophobia overtook him. Even though the sets of eyes focused on him were subtle, it felt like he was being stared at dead on. He could almost hear the whispers. He glanced at Lucas again, who now had a concerned expression. Lucas approached him, raising a hand to his shoulder.

"Ness? You look really freaked out, is everything-"

Lucas trailed off when Ness slightly backed away, avoiding his hand. While the movement was small, it still alarmed Lucas, who pulled his hand away.

"U-um..." Ness looked around at the other students again, before completely panicking. He grabbed Ninten's arm and began to pull him away. Ninten, who was too confused to protest, only when with him. Lucas took a step forward, confused. Ness only said one thing, "Bye, Lucas."

As Ness hurriedly pulled Ninten along with him, he didn't dare look back. He couldn't stand to be there another second, as his peers would silently judged him. He knew that Lucas had followed him for a few steps.

"Ness...!" Lucas called after him, before slowing to a stop. He watched his friends exit through the stairwell, his face defeated. Behind him, the sudden murmuring of students caught his attention. Irritated by Ness' sudden disappearance, he clenched his hand into a fist and turned around to face them, "We're _friends!_ " He snapped, before pushing through them.

Meanwhile, Ness continued to silently drag Ninten with him through the halls.

"Ness," Ninten muttered as he struggled to keep up, "Dude, I can only go so fast...!"

"Sorry, sorry, let's just get to the car. I need to get home." Ness said, as they reached the back exit of the school. Ninten decided not to say anything until they were in a more private place; Ness obviously had a lot going on in his mind.

When they had boarded the car, Ness only sat back in the driver's seat, staring up at the roof. Ninten watched him, concerned. He opened his mouth to speak, but Ness spoke first.

"I fucked up, man..." He sighed, "...I reaaallly fucked up...! He hates me. He hates me now, he's never gonna talk to me again..." Ness rambled, hiding his face in his hands.

"Ness, no, he doesn't hate you," Ninten assured, "Lucas doesn't have the ability to hate."

" _He does now!_ " Ness cried, groaning in frustration and leaning forwards to let his forehead land on the steering wheel. It took another five minutes for him to calm down enough to eventually start driving.

The commute home was silent. Ninten sat back, arms crossed, trying to think of something to say. Upon turning to look at Ness, he saw that his eyes were focused straight ahead, only occasionally drifting to glance at the mirrors. Ninten bit his lip, drumming his fingers on his arm.

"...What compelled you to do that?" Ninten asked softly. Ness flinched, but kept his eyes on the road.

"I panicked, that's all. Everyone was looking at us, and I didn't know what to do..." Ness trailed off.

"You gonna talk to Luc about it at all? I mean, I think you kinda hurt his feelings a little." Ninten said.

"I wasn't thinking. I'll call him tonight or something." Ness decided, putting an end to the short conversation.

When they got home, it was still silent. As Ness undid his shoelaces, he felt Ninten's hand rest on his shoulder. He looked up to see his roommate give him a supporting smile. Ness, while grateful, could only manage a weak, forced grin in response. Ninten limped over to the couch while Ness retreated to the kitchen. He hadn't noticed that he hadn't eaten a single thing all day.

As he was putting together the only thing that seemed appetizing at the time (a bowl of cereal), he heard the lock at the front door jiggle. His spirits instantly lifted when he saw Tracy enter the apartment, relieved that she'd made it home in one piece. He quickly ran over to her, kneeling down so that he could hug her.

"Hey, Trace!" He greeted, squeezing her tightly.

"Hi," Tracy replied. Once she pulled away, she stood up on her toes in order to put her house key into a nearby box. As she began to put away her things, she began to talk about her day, much to Ness' enjoyment. "So we were in science class, and I told my friend that I was living with you. And he said that he was jealous and wished he could live with his big sister. Even my teachers are like,  _really_  impressed." She explained.

"You're living in an...odd household. It makes sense." Called Ninten, who was still sitting down. When Tracy spotted him, she grinned and ran over to the couch, hoisting herself up.

"Hi, Minten!" She said. Ninten and Ness shared a look or humor, appreciating her effort of trying to pronounce his name.

"Hey, kiddo!" Ninten replied, raising his hand for a fist bump, which Tracy obliged with. "Your trip home was okay?"

"Yah. Me and Nesley practiced over the weekend. I just have to take another bus this time. That's okay though, because that means less walking." Said Tracy. She glanced down, and patted at Ninten's cast. "Does your leg still hurt?"

"A little bit, but that's okay. It'll get better in a few weeks." Ninten said. Tracy nodded and faced her brother, who stood nearby.

"Nesley, can we call mom and dad?" She asked quietly. Ness, who hadn't been expecting that, paused for a moment.

"Oh! Uh...yah, sure. My phone's just plugged in over here. I'll ring 'em up." He said. At that moment, Ninten shifted up onto his crutches and sighed.

"Well, if you guys are gonna do that, I'm gonna go to my room and call Claus. I don't wanna intrude or anything." He said. Ness only nodded, and sat next to Tracy, phone in hand. He would text Lucas later. Upon opening the now charged phone, he was instantly met with several messages from people he didn't even know, and all seemed to ask about the same thing. Rolling his eyes, he ignored them and opened up his contact list.

The siblings sat together, Tracy patiently waiting for Ness to find the contact number for their old home phone. As it rang for a few seconds, Ness switched on speaker phone so that both of them could hear. After a few more seconds, the ringing stopped, and the scratchy feedback of another phone emitted.

"Hello, this is the Wyman residence? This is Nancy speaking."

" _Hi moooommm!_ " Both Ness and Tracy cried into the phone, laughing hysterically afterwards at their mother' shocked yelp.

"Ahhhh, you dirty rotten kids! You scared me!" She giggled, "Hi guys! Tell me how you're doing! Tracy, how's living with your big bro?"

"I've only been living here for like, a day, and it's already fun. His friend is  _so_  nice, and _really_  funny." Tracy said.

"That's always good. Nesley, how's that working out for you, hun?"

"Just fine. She's behaving herself." Ness answered. "...Most of the time." Tracy stuck her tongue out at him. He did the same.

"Well, I should hope so. Sweetie, listen, you have no idea how much this means to me and your dad. Thank you." His mother said.

"It's no problem, mom! Hey, speaking of dad, where is he? He doesn't leave until a few days from now, right?" Ness asked.

"Yes, he's still home. Give me a moment."

There were a few muffled voices as their mother called for him. Ness and Tracy looked at each other, half nervous, half excited. They patiently waited until the sound of scratching came from the speaker, signifying that the phone had been passed to someone else.

"Dad?" Piped Tracy.

"Hi, Tracy," Both siblings were relieved at the sound of their father's voice, "Is your brother there?"

"I'm right here, dad." Ness said.

"Oh, good, good..." Their father sounded much quieter than he usually was, "How are you two?"

"We're both okay! Dad, listen, Ness' house is like, so high up. I can see the entire city!"

"Can you? Do you think that it's gonna work for you? I know it's a lot different from what you're used to, but..."

"It's fine. It's kinda fun living inside the city and not just by it. I'm nice and close to my school now."

Ness listened as the two of them talked for a while. He noticed that his parent seemed awkward, almost uncomfortable speaking to them. This saddened him; he didn't want him to think he or Tracy _hated_  him or anything.

"Is Ness still there?"

Upon hearing his name, Ness let go of his thoughts, "Yah, dad. I'm here."

"Tell me, is everything okay? Is it hard to handle? Because if it is, we can always figure something else out." His father assured.

"No, it's fine. Besides, I've got Ninten to help me! I think Tracy's starting to like him more than me." Ness teased, casting a playful smirk at his sister, who gasped.

"No I don't! I like both of you equally!" She insisted. Ness laughed a bit.

The conversation only lasted a few more minutes after that. Even after they had said their goodbyes, a warm feeling had stayed in Ness' body. He was relieved that he could talk to his family like this, without being nervous. This left him feeling relieved. However, there was, of course, a little twinge of anxiety still growing in the back of his mind.

He couldn't stand the idea of hurting Lucas in any way, and he wanted nothing more than to talk things over with him. But at the same time, he couldn't stand the idea of talking to him in general. Even as afternoon turned to evening, and evening turned to night, he continued to let the sinking feeling grow. He laid back on his bed, staring up at the patterned ceiling. Down the hall, he could hear his sister and Ninten talking about something or other. He smiled, glad that they were bonding.

He slowly rolled over on to his side, and looked at his phone, which sat just a few inches away from his face. All he had to do was send one single text. Something he did all the time now seemed difficult, almost impossible.

One other thought also plagued his mind; why hadn't Lucas said anything?

School had long since ended, and his friend still hadn't sent as much as a single text. Ness guessed that he probably wasn't in the room to talk. There was no doubt that Lucas was probably a little bitter about what had happened. Slowly, Ness reached a hand over, and hovered it just above the device. As if it had a force field around it, his hand was repelled.

Suddenly, the screen lit up. The sudden vibration of the phone made him jump. He sat up, and saw that he was receiving a call. It was Lucas.

" _Shit...!_ " He muttered. His first instinct was to answer, but once again, he found himself unable to. He only stared at the phone, and at his friend's name displayed. He bit his lower lip and let it ring.

If he answered, there was the possibility that he would just mess things up even more. What if he said the wrong thing? On the other hand, if he didn't answer, then perhaps Lucas would forget the whole thing. It seemed more plausible at the moment. So, he let it skip to the answering machine.

He would talk to him about it tomorrow.

* * *

Lucas' brow furrowed as he clicked off his phone. He sighed, brushing his hair back with both hands. Claus, who was sitting next to him on the couch, frowned.

"He's still not answering?" He asked.

"No." Muttered Lucas, "Maybe he just doesn't have his phone with him."

"Do you think he's okay?" Claus seemed concerned. Lucas rested his chin on his hand.

"I hope so. Ever since this gossip has been going around, he's been kinda jumpy. But that was so... _unlike_  him. He'd never just walk away like that, and not say anything." He explained, his voice tired.

"Eh, give him a few days. You know Ness, he just needs to calm down a bit." Claus suggested.

"I hope you're right." Lucas murmured.

At school the next day, Ness wasn't at his locker, like he usually was. Lucas supposed that perhaps he was just sick, or late for school. But then again, Ness usually texted him about things like this. But perhaps his phone was dead, or broken. Lucas waited at his locker patiently. The staring and whispering had calmed down since the previous day, but he still felt like a large amount of unwanted attention was being targeted towards him. He stood there, textbooks in his arms, silently scanning the halls for his friend. Time ticked on, and the first bell drew nearer.

Over and over, he checked his phone for any sign of Ness. He sent a few texts his way, and even went as far as to call him. But all the same, Ness didn't even bother to answer. Lucas, still determined to talk to him, waited. At this moment, he was probably stuck in traffic, and he had left his phone at home. But the strange thing was that Lucas had seen Ninten that day. He knew that Ninten didn't own a bus pass, and he couldn't drive with his leg being broken. That meant that Ness was definitely at the school.

" _But he could've gotten a ride with Kumatora, or Jeff. Maybe Paula._ " Lucas thought, thinking about who else he knew could drive.

While he was still going over multiple idea in his head, the bell rang.

Sighing, Lucas shrugged on his backpack and prepared to head off to his first class, which was Math. However, he realized he'd forgotten something.

" _My calculator. Duh._ " He thought, shaking his head as he turned around to go back to his locker. The hallway quickly emptied as he searched for the calculator, and by the time he found it, he was alone. As he closed his locker, he heard a group of footsteps approaching. He gave it no thought, until someone spoke.

"Hey, you. Lucas, right?"

Lucas perked up and faced the group of students. The one who had spoken was a taller boy, who he recognized as an old rival of Ness. He couldn't quite put his finger on his name.

"Yes, that's me. You're the one who shoved me in my gym locker." He said, his voice bitter, remembering the bruise he'd gotten from that incident.

"Wha...? That...?  _Huh?_  That was  _you?_  Aw geez, I never...I am... _so_  sorry, man." The other boy said, trying to make it obvious that he was lying. The other students, laughed quietly behind him.

"I accept your apology. Now, can I go to class, please?" Lucas asked, as he began to walk past the students. The taller boy quickly rushed to block his path. Lucas sighed, realizing that he wasn't leaving without a fight. " _Please._ " He added, hoping this student didn't have any malicious intentions.

"Um, actually, no. Not yet," The boy said. His voice didn't show any signs of wanting trouble, but his height and stronger stature still intimidated Lucas. Suddenly, the familiar brown hair helped him come to a realization.

"Oh, I know you. Your Travis' big brother, aren't you? Zachary, yes? Twelfth grader? " Lucas guessed, finally remembering.

"It's, uh...it's just 'Zack'. Yep, I'm Trav's big bro. He talks about you all the time, dude. Lemme tell you, you broke his heart  _bad._ " Zack said, laughing a bit. Lucas' brow furrowed.

"What do you mean?" He asked, concerned.

"You  _do_  know he's got a thing for you, right?" Zack asked. Lucas felt his hands shake a bit; he knew that Travis had a bit of a crush on him. He shrugged.

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, when you and Ness got together, that kinda made him sad."

Lucas rolled his eyes and groaned, "Okay, I don't know if you heard, but me and Ness are  _friends_. We don't have any romantic connection in the slightest, okay? That's just a rumor that got way too out of hand. We're friends, and that's it." He explained, feeling like he'd repeated this a million times before.

" _I meeean_ , that's just as bad." Zack shrugged.

"Excuse me?"

"It's  _Ness_ , dude. The guy's a dick."

Lucas just barely winced. "What? I mean, yeah, he used to be. But he's changed, honest! I know he used to pick on your little brother, but they're friends now! You can ask Travis if you don't believe me."

"You think people like Ness can change? Really? He's so fake, man. Seriously." Zack insisted. Lucas tried once again to pass him, deciding that he didn't have time for this. Zack once again blocked him, this time slamming his fist against the wall to make his point. Lucas recoiled back, realizing that this kid meant business. "I'm not done." Zack muttered.

" _I_   _am_  done, now please let me go." Lucas protested. Zack raised his eyebrows, and turned to look at his friends.

"Whoooa, he's  _feisty_ , you guys!" He snickered, before turning back to Lucas, " _I'm real scared._ " He said, quieter. Lucas found it difficult to tell if he was teasing, or genuinely aggressive, but he prepared himself for a possible attack. He remembered that he'd promised Claus he'd work on defending himself. Zack continued, "Listen, that kid is lying to you. He's gaining your trust, so that you can be put off guard, then he'll back stab you. I'm trying to  _help_  you."

" _Help_  me!" Lucas replied in disbelief, "Wow, okay. Look. Ness is my best friend. He'd never do something like that."

"You're defending him really strongly. Are you sure you're only friends? Seems to me like there  _is_  something going on." Zack said, taking a step forward and darkening his voice. Lucas' first instinct was to back away, but he convinced himself to stand his ground. Backing away would show weakness.

"Like I said, we're nothing more than friends." Lucas repeated.

"I have a hard time believing that." Zack replied.

"Seriously? Look, even if we  _were_  dating, which we're  _not_ , it wouldn't be your business anyways!" Insisted Lucas.

Zack didn't answer at first. He stammered a bit, trying to find an answer, but stopped and narrowed his eyes. "Wow. You're really stubborn, aren't you?" He muttered.

"If it means debunking these rumors, then yes, consider me stubborn. I know you don't like me, and I know it's because I'm friends with Ness. But you don't need to be a little shit about it, alright? Now stop bothering me, and let me through." Lucas finished, this time shoving past Zack to get his point across. However, Zack reacted aggressively, grabbing Lucas' arm and pulling him back. Lucas flinched at the force used, but didn't let him see it.

"The  _fuck_  did you say?" Zack demanded, jabbing at Lucas' shoulder, hard enough to send him back a few steps. The other students, who had stayed quiet through the whole confrontation, all looked at each other in amused anticipation. The last thing Lucas wanted was a fight, but his frustration had made him more irritable, and he found himself running out of patience. He forcefully swatted Zack's hand away, which made a slapping sound loud enough to echo through the hallway.

" _Don't_  grab me like that." Lucas tried not to sound frightened. The other students let out a chorus of entertained 'Oooooh's in response, and faced Zack to see what he would do. Zack stared at Lucas, bewildered for a moment, before snapping out of it. Lucas knew that violence was unavoidable at this point. Zack was a very competitive person, and didn't have the best anger control. He prepared to defend himself.

Zack responded by shoving him again, using both hands this time. Lucas just barely backed into a few lockers, dropping his books. He felt a small, sharp pain in his back, as he'd run into the corner of the lockers.

" _Jesus, this kid is strong..."_  Lucas thought. He wondered if he could make a run for it, but with six other students around including Zack, who was on the track team, there was no way. He realized that Zack had probably planned this. Before he could react again, he realized he'd been grabbed by his vest.

"You've got a lot of nerve. Be careful who you pick a fight with." Zack threatened. His voice was low and quiet. Lucas grabbed his wrists, but didn't try to pull his hands away.

"I'm not looking for one." He replied, keeping his composure calm.

" _Looks like you got one anyway._ " Zack replied. His grip on Lucas' vest got tighter, and he threw him back against the wall, still holding on to him. He let go with one hand, which he raised, preparing to strike.

Lucas' instinct finally won over. Swiftly, he drove his knee upwards, using his flexibility to his advantage and colliding with Zack's holding arm, forcing away his hand. Before Zack could do anything in response, Lucas drew back and threw the hardest punch he could muster. Somehow, in a stroke of luck and good karma, he managed to make contact with Zack's jaw, causing him to stumble back.

The other students exploded into a riot, yelling encouragement at the two boys. Normally, Lucas would've been shocked with himself, but his anger and adrenaline won over his non-violent nature in the end.

"Maybe now you'll get the hint." He spat. He turned around to walk away, but the other peers had surrounded them. His heart began to beat faster. He'd attacked Zack in order to protect himself and make his point, not to start an actual fight.

While he was distracted trying to get through, Zack fastened an arm around his neck from behind, getting him into a headlock. Lucas struggled, now becoming more scared than provoked. Zack moved his arm into a chokehold, causing Lucas to panic from the sudden loss of air. Lucas, seeing that Zack's right side wasn't protected, rammed his elbow into him. He could hear Zack grunt out of pain a little, but he didn't let go. However, his arm had loosened just enough for Lucas to wriggle free. Now, he was desperate to get away.

"Please let me pass!" He pleaded, trying to push past the students who had crowded around. They only stood closer together and yelled more encouragement, obviously wanting for a fight to break out. He whipped around to face Zack, who had a hand clutching his side. Zack raised his other hand, gesturing towards himself, implying that he wanted to continue. Lucas shook his head and continued to try and escape. He began to regret defending himself in the first place, realizing that this had gotten way too out of control.

Once again, he'd lost focus, and once again, he was pulled back. This time, he was forcefully pushed to the ground, where he received an attack that was all too familiar to him; a kick to the chest.

Lucas curled up into himself in response to the sudden, sharp pain. Gritting his teeth, he went into a fetal position, wrapping his arms around himself for protection. He focused on pushing away the unpleasant memories from his head. His mind instantly took him back to laying on the concrete ground, harsh rain pelting his skin.

He was snapped out of his flashback-like state when he realized that Zack had grabbed both of his arms and pulled them back, leaving his front exposed again. Once again, Zack drove his foot into his chest, this time with a little more force. Lucas cried out this time, his voice breaking. He had to pay attention, he told himself. He had a split second to react when Zack draw back his leg again, really for a third strike. Once he'd swung it forwards again, Lucas grabbed his calf and yanked him downwards as hard as he could, and managed to drag him to the floor. Zack, stunned by the sudden action, was easily overpowered by Lucas, who pinned him down with all the strength he had.

Once regaining his composure however, Zack's greater strength took over, and the two wrestled for a few seconds, before it was Lucas who was pinned to the floor. Lucas, realizing that he'd been left helpless, only squeezed his eyes shut and waited for whatever Zack's next move was.

However, a few moments passed, and nothing happened. Lucas heard a new voice, as well as a scuffle occurring above him. Suddenly, Zack's weight was lifted from his body. Lucas, blinking away the blurriness in his vision, scrambled back against the wall for safety. He could hear raised voices talking over each other, and he managed to pick out one in particular.

" _Is that Ness?_ " He thought, squinting to try and see what was going on. A wave of relief swept over him as he recognized his friend's white jacket. He saw that Ness had a tight hold on Zack's sleeve.

"Seriously? Just fuck off, okay?" Ness threatened, pushing him a bit.

"There we go, this is so  _typical!_ " Zack snapped, pulling his arm away, "This is why everyone thinks you two are a thing!"

"No one asked you! I said to fuck off. Go, get out!" Ness repeated. "You don't need to get Lucas involved with  _us_ , okay?"

Zack backed up a few steps. He glanced around a bit, looking for either an answer, a weapon, or an escape route. He groaned in frustration. " _Jesus..._ whatever, man!" He spat, before reluctantly turning away and walking in the other direction. The other students followed, intently watching Ness until they disappeared from view. Once the hallway was empty, Ness quickly rushed back to his friend, who was still backed up against the wall.

"You okay?" He asked, holding out a hand. Lucas accepted his help and shakily stood up.

"Y-yeah, I'm good." Lucas said. He began to run a hand over his chest to soothe the stinging.

"What were you thinking? Picking a fight with a senior? Not even that, with Zack McConnell? That kid could easily beat the shit out of  _me._ " Ness insisted, his voice alarmed.

"He started it, okay? He was gonna hit me, so I defended myself!" Lucas replied.

"But did you have to go so far with it? I was in the next hall over getting water, and I could hear everything going on from all the way over there!" Ness exclaimed, gesturing back to the direction he'd come from. Oddly, he found himself getting frustrated.

"I don't get why you're so mad about it," Lucas muttered, averting eye contact.

"I'm not mad, alright? I'm just worried! Lucas, I know you said you'd work on defending yourself. But you almost got flat out beaten up, okay?" Ness emphasized his words to make his point clear. Lucas could see, just by looking in his eyes, that Ness was being reminded of some very unpleasant memories. He knew that said memories were why Ness was acting so protective, but he couldn't help but still keep a bitter attitude. Ness, seeing that he was getting nowhere, sighed. "Lucas, listen. You're strong for your size, I know. But when Claus said you needed to work on self defense, he didn't mean this."

"Can you stop acting like I'm in the wrong? I was trapped, alright? It's not like I had a choice!" Lucas countered. He drew back, surprised by the volume in his own voice, "O-oh, I'm sorry..." He said cautiously, "...I didn't mean to snap."

"It's...fine." Ness replied, also surprised. "Lucas, are...are you  _okay_? You're never this...irritable."

Lucas was about to answer, his mind suddenly went back to the previous day, when Ness had decided to take off in the middle of a conversation, then proceeded to ignore him. Keeping his cool, but still disgruntled, Lucas replied, "You've been avoiding me."

Ness held his breath. His friend was going to bring it up at some point. He took a step back, pretending to look confused, "What are you talking about? No I'm not." He said, clearly lying.

"Oh, come on, Ness. First, you book it while we're talking, then you ignore my texts, my calls, everything. And don't act like you didn't have your phone, because you left me on 'read!'" Lucas accused. He didn't want to admit that last part to himself before. He continued, "Then, you obviously avoid our lockers because you knew I'd be there. I waited here all morning, and you didn't even come to get so much as a pencil."

"I was late for school, I just got here." Ness claimed.

"Then why did I see Ninten here nearly twenty minutes ago, if you  _just_  got here? It's not  _too_  far fetched to say he  _walked_  to school, is it?" Lucas asked. That stopped Ness dead in his tracks. He struggled to form words, but the ability to talk left him. He'd just given himself away. He shamefully glanced up to meet Lucas' stern gaze.

"Um..." Ness began, shifting uncomfortably on his feet, "Well, why do you think the rumors started in the first place?" He asked.

"Because we're surrounded by  _high school students_? That's kinda what high schoolers  _do_?" Replied Lucas.

"You know what I mean, come on. Everyone thinks we're dating because we're...around each other way too much." Ness explained. Lucas only stared back at him, dumbfounded and speechless.

"I..." Lucas didn't even know where to start. "Are you...actually serious? Weren't you the one who called out your dad not even a few months ago because he cared about rumors too much?"

"Only a few people were talking about that before! The entire school knows this one, though! Don't forget that I'm kind of well known at this school! You don't get it, okay? I have a reputation!"

"I understand that, but what about this gossip can even ruin your reputation at all?"

"I just don't want everyone thinking that I'm-!"

Ness stopped himself, drawing in his lower lip and gritting his teeth. He knew that he didn't need to finish his sentence; Lucas had heard enough. Lucas' face was calm, but his eyes were fiery. He motioned for Ness to continue.

"Go ahead." He murmured, nearly whispering, " _Say it._  Go on. I'm all ears."

Ness didn't answer. The last thing he wanted to do was continue. His heart pounding, he took a deep breath and shook his head. "C'mon Lucas, don't do that to me. Don't make me say it. I didn't even mean to bring it up."

Upon looking at his friend, he could see that his eyes were turning red. Lucas' hands were tightly balled into fists and his mouth was slightly twitching; he was obviously fighting back tears. Ness felt his heart sting, and a harsh pang of guilt hit him. Lucas' expression turned from anger to a mix of hurt and hatred when he realized that Ness wasn't giving in.

"Go ahead, Ness!" Lucas exclaimed, his voice shaking. He picked up his backpack, then his textbooks afterwards, "Go on! Say what you need to say! Or maybe, don't! Because if you think that being  _gay_  is something you should be ashamed of, then you can just stop talking to me altogether! But it looks like you've already got that part nailed, huh?"

With that, Lucas turned around and quickly walked away.

"Lucas...! Luc, no, wait a minute...!" Ness called after him. He only followed for a step or two, but Lucas had quickly vanished. Frustrated and mad at himself, Ness hid his face in his hands before running his hands over his head stressfully, before kicking the wall beside him hard enough to hurt his foot. "Ow, god dammit...!" He flinched, " _You really fucked up this time, Ness..._ " He muttered to himself.

He hadn't seen Lucas that mad for a while; not since he'd been fighting with Claus. And the last time Ness had fought like that with Lucas was the day the two became friends. The burning in his chest slowly faded to a sinking feeling as he paced around a bit.

At first, he decided it'd be a good idea to call his friend and talk things out, but he figured that Lucas probably wasn't in the mood to talk to him right now, and doing it over the phone was also not the best plan. The anxiety he felt earlier was now growing out of proportion.

He sat back against a locker and slid down until he reached the floor, drawing his knees into his chest. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, deciding to find comfort in his Ninten. He only texted him a single thing.

**-'I messed up.'**

* * *

When Claus had unlocked the door to the apartment later that afternoon, returning from a club meeting after school, he knew something was wrong.

The apartment was hot and stuffy, and a musty, burning smell hung in the air. Upon looking at the couch nearby, he saw Lucas laying down, carelessly draped over it, his legs hanging over the left side. His arms were raised, and in his hands was a crumpled up piece of paper, which he was playing with. Claus sighed, smiled, and shook his head. He closed the door behind him and walked over to his brother, standing just by the couch.

"I'm home." He announced, his voice projected. Lucas didn't sit up, rather, he twisted his head to meet Claus' gaze. Claus stifled a small laugh, seeing the red tint bordering Lucas' eyes and the spaced out look on his face. There were a few moments of silence, before Lucas seemed to snap out of his trance and grinned.

"Heeeeyyy, Claus! You're home!" Lucas greeted. Lucas sat up, grunting a bit, and patted his hand on the space next to him. Claus snickered affectionately and sat down next to him. Once again, the brothers held eye contact for a few seconds. Lucas, seeing that his twin was trying very hard to keep in laughter, began to giggle uncontrollably, "...What?" He murmured.

"Lucas?" Claus purred, "Are you high?"

"Fuckin'  _zoinked._ " Lucas confirmed, going into a fit of laughter once again. Claus rolled his eyes.

"How much?" He asked, glancing towards the coffee table, noticing the obviously used grinder and bowl.

"Three hits." Replied Lucas. His voice was smooth and low pitched.

"That's not so bad," Claus sighed, leaning back, "This usually isn't a school night thing for you. Look at yourself, you're still wearing your uniform." He gestured to Lucas' school clothing. Lucas scoffed.

"So are  _you_ , stupid." He slurred.

"I just got home!" Claus laughed, before yawning and standing up. He walked over to the balcony door, sliding it open to fan out the earthy scent in the room. He turned back to Lucas, "So, why is it you decided to get fucked up when it isn't the weekend?" He asked.

"Bad day." Was all Lucas said.

"Aw, that sucks. What happened?" Claus asked, once again sitting beside him.

"Got in a fight."

Claus' eyes widened, "A  _fight?!_ Like, physical?"

"Yeah."

" _You?!_ "

"Mmhmm."

Claus took a moment to process what he'd just heard. "No way. Lucas, that's not you. You don't get in fights, you always talk about love and peace, and all that hippy shit. Who'd you fight?"

"Chestnut's big brother." Lucas replied. Claus' mouth fell open. Even though Lucas was under the influence and relaxed because of this, he was perplexed at how calm Lucas was.

"You fought Zack McConnell? Of  _all_  people? Holy shit,  _why?!_ " Claus cried, half worried, half impressed.

"He was bein' an asshole, and he tried to beat me up, so I gave him a what-for." Lucas muttered, a slight hint of aggravation in his voice.

"Christ! Did you win?" Claus asked.

"Kinda? I probably wouldn't have, if Ness hadn't come and helped me out. He heard us from down the hallway, and got Zack to leave me alone." Explained Lucas. Claus grimaced in response to Ness' name.

"Wow, so he actually recognized that you exist."

Lucas groaned. "Please don't be salty. I don't want to feel sad anymore today," He sighed, "Me and Ness fought a little bit, too."

Claus' gaze instantly softened into one of sympathy. "Oh..." He took Lucas' hand, "With words only, I hope?"

"Yeah. He stayed away from me because he doesn't want people to think he's...you know,  _not_  straight."

Claus raised an eyebrow, "But I thought he was bi?"

"He is, but the school doesn't know that. He doesn't want anyone to know yet, except for us." Lucas leaned his head back, looking up at the ceiling. Claus could see, even through his brother's high, Lucas was incredibly troubled. He pressed his lips into a thin line. Desperate to put his mind at ease, he forced a weak smile onto his face.

"What'd you do to McConnell?" Claus smirked, glancing at his twin from the side. Lucas, caught off guard by the question, also grinned a little bit.

"...Punched 'em." He murmured in amusement.

"Where?" Asked Claus.

"Right in the jaw." Lucas said, putting a finger on the side of his own face.

" _Sick._  The kid deserves that," Claus laughed, "That's it?"

"No, I elbowed him, too."

"Heh, nice. I bet he won't be messing with you for a while. How did Travis react?"

"He was okay with it. He actually said 'thanks' for putting Zack in his place."

"Fuck, I _love_  that guy."

The twins sat together for another half an hour, and Lucas' mind slowly began to clear. He fell to the side, against Claus, and let his eyelids droop closed. Claus, seeing how tired he was, helped Lucas stand up, and guided him to his bedroom, before fetching a glass of water for him. After a brief moment of banter, where Lucas succeeded in convincing him he could undress himself perfectly fine on his own, Claus left and headed to his own room.

As Claus laid on his back, resting his eyes, he went deep into his own mind. The conflicting feelings he was having were nearly driving him mad. He had always been convinced that he disliked Ness, and at best, he tolerated him. But for some reason, he wanted his brother to make up with him. Claus couldn't deny that he'd tried to cause a rip in their friendship. But now that said friendship was faltering, he felt unhappy.

When his phone suddenly buzzed, he found a brief moment of relief when he realized he'd gotten a text from Ninten. His entire body warmed up instantly, despite the somewhat guilty feeling still nesting in him.

He prayed that the situation would quickly get better before it got worse.

* * *

Claus' prayer was only half answered in the following days.

In the first day or two after the fight, Ness still hung around the group, but never spoke a word to Lucas, who did the same. Whenever the two were in the same area together, a nearly unbearable passive aggressive tension hung in the air, but everyone did their best to simply ignore it. In a way, things weren't exactly getting worse, but things weren't exactly getting better, either.

At the regular table in the cafeteria, the two began sitting on opposite sides of each other rather than next to each other. They often avoided eye contact, but in the instance where their eyes met, a glare would pass between them. Ness' guilt had slowly turned to bitterness as the days went by. He knew deep down that he wasn't exactly in the right, but if Lucas wanted to give him the silent treatment, then two could play at that game.

Claus, as well as the others in the group of friends, were getting sick and tired of it all by the fourth day. He and Ninten especially, due to having to live with the two apparent ex friends. Claus knew his own brother more than anyone else, and when Lucas got spiteful, he had a habit of being incredibly quiet, which got irritating fast. As for Ness, he was quite the opposite. While he'd improved his anger management over the months of the school year, that went to the wayside as he grew more and more resentful. Each word he spoke seemed to have a sharp and sarcastic undertone to it.

"You doing okay today?" Ninten had asked one morning, while the two were walking down a hallway.

"I'm fantastic. Thank you  _so_  much for asking." Ness muttered back.

"Can you  _stop_  that? I'm your friend, I'm only trying to help." Ninten replied, taken aback by Ness' dark tone. When Ness didn't say anything, he sighed, "I want you to do something for me today."

Ness perked up at him, "Hm? Like what?"

"I want you to talk to Lucas today. On our spare period."

With a scoff, Ness shook his head, "Not gonna happen. I'll talk to him when he talks to me."

"You started this, Ness! You have to end it! I'm saying this in the nicest way possible. But Lucas is incredibly proud of his sexuality, dude. And when you basically say that it  _isn't_  something to be proud of..." Ninten trailed off, and Ness groaned in response.

"I didn't mean it in that way, though! I meant that I didn't want everybody to know yet! _I_  decide when I come out." He explained.

"Well then how about you talk to Lucas, and explain that to him? Are you scared or something?" Ninten asked.

"...Kinda. _"_ Ness murmured.

Ninten fell silent. He wasn't expecting that at all. His roommate usually defended himself on a whim, denying any sign of weakness. Ninten glanced at him from the side, softening his gaze.

"Please, Ness." He pleaded, "You love him. And...I thought that maybe..." He went quiet again, being cut off by the first period bell.

The friends shared a solemn glance, before parting ways.

Ness felt a sense of dread, realizing that he had English first. The last thing he wanted to do was spend an entire hour and fourty minutes in the same room as Lucas, but he had no choice. Upon arriving to the classroom, he saw that Lucas was already there, in their usual spot. Right as Ness saw him, Lucas looked up to meet his eyes. They instantly cast a disdained look at each other. While still holding eye contact, Lucas made it perfectly clear that he was going to be sitting alone that day, by placing his backpack on the seat next to him. Ness narrowed his eyes, and made sure to show that he was perfectly fine with sitting on the opposite side of the room, by plopping himself down in the far right. Lucas turned away, with a simple "Hmph."

Ness felt his face grow hot, knowing that everyone in the room had witnessed that. Whispers already began to fill the room. It seemed that the previous rumors had faded a bit, but were now replaced with the supposed break up between the two, which was even worse.

He wasn't looking forward to the spare period that day.

* * *

Upon entering the near empty cafeteria, Ness gave a small wave when approaching the table, where his other friends already sat. As usual, Lucas barely even acknowledged his existence, and sat across from the remaining empty chair.

"Sorry I'm a little late, guys, I stayed after class to finish a test." He explained.

"It's...fine." Paula said awkwardly.

Ness sat down, trying as hard as he could not to catch sight of Lucas, who had his stare focused on the table. While the spare periods were usually filled with conversation so thick it was hard to get a word in, today was silent and uncomfortable. Ness felt a tap on his leg. He turned to look at Ninten, who sat beside him. Ninten jerked his head towards Lucas. Ness, without a word, shook his head. Ninten gave him a look that said "Seriously?"

Ness rolled his eyes and looked away. He knew that Ninten was only trying to help him, and he knew that this fight had to end at some point. But talking to Lucas now was incredibly risky. If he said the wrong thing in the wrong way, then things could get even more ugly. But then again, how ugly would things get if he just left it alone? Ness realized that even though he was upset with Lucas, he didn't want their friendship to end. He slowly began to think about how empty his life would be without Lucas in it. He sighed, and glanced back at Ninten, who gave him a reassuring smile. Ness dipped his head slightly, and took a deep breath.

"It's kinda weird when you're sitting over there, Lucas." Ness murmured the first words he'd said to his friend in almost a week. Lucas perked up, his eyes wide, shocked that Ness had actually spoken to him. He quickly reverted back to his previous, stoic glare. Ness frowned, frustrated that he wouldn't at least have the decency to respond. But suddenly, Lucas leaned over to Paula, who sat beside him, and whispered something to her. Paula curtly nodded and turned to Ness.

"He says he's not talking to you." She relayed.

" _Is he being serious right now?!_ " Thought Ness. He crossed his arms. "Wow, Lucas. That's  _really_  mature."

Lucas gave him a look that nearly burned holes in his skin, before whispering to Paula again.

"He says he's just giving you a taste of your own medicine." Paula murmured, looking down at her hands.

"Aren't you the one who always tries to solve things with words?!" Cried Ness. The others at the table flinched, but said nothing. Neither did Lucas. Ness looked at Ninten again, gesturing towards Lucas in an irritated manner. " _There. I tried._ " He thought. Ninten only looked away, biting his lip. Ness turned back to Lucas, who had his arms crossed and his gaze pointed at empty space. In a desperate way of keeping his anger in, Ness gripped onto his jacket so hard that his hand was beginning to shake. However, he couldn't stop himself from muttering something under his breath, still loud enough for Lucas to hear, " _...Asshole._ "

" _Excuse_  me?!" Lucas finally exclaimed, standing up and throwing his hands down on the table.

"You're excused, _there's_  the door!" Ness replied, doing the same. The slight feeling of sympathy he felt a few minutes ago was now gone.

"You are unbelievable, you know that? First, you avoid me because you're too ashamed to be seen with me, then you just decide not to talk to me for a week?" Countered Lucas.

"Don't act like you didn't do anything! You stopped talking to me, too!"

"Here we go again. You always do this! You're never completely in the wrong, are you?" Lucas challenged, ignoring Claus, who was tugging at his shirt and silently whispering for him to back off.

"You're just all bitter because I'm right!" Ness snapped back.

They continued to go back and forth, eventually ending up shouting over each other. The energy seemed to only be getting stronger. The others at the table all shared panicked looks, not knowing what to do. Even Kumatora seemed too nervous to interrupt the situation. Eventually, Ness and Lucas had migrated from the table to a few feet away, still fighting. The others all sat on the edge of their seats, prepared to interfere if things got out of hand. And eventually, they did, when Ness was suddenly shoved. He went silent, blinked, and looked at Lucas with wide eyes.

"Did you just  _push_  me?!" He cried.

"Oh, come on, that wasn't even all that hard!" Lucas replied.

"Yes it  _was!_ "

"I barely touched you! Do you wanna see forceful? Is that what you want?!"

"You know what?  _Go ahead._  You're five feet tall and just over a hundred pounds, you can't do  _shit._ "

Lucas responded by pushing him again, but using all of his strength this time. Ness, caught off guard by how strong he actually was, staggered, and grabbed onto a nearby table for support. At this point, the others at the table had taken charge of the situation. Claus and Jeff ran to restrain Lucas, while Kumatora and Ninten rushed to pull back Ness.

"Guys, you need to  _quit it!_ " Paula shouted, "Someone's gonna get hurt if you don't stop!"

Lucas completely ignored her, "Sometimes I wonder if you really have changed at all! Maybe Zack was right, maybe you are just trying to get my trust! Is that it, Ness? Are you just trying to use me?"

"I can't believe you would even think that! I'd never do something like that." Replied Ness, who continued to struggle out of Kumatora's grasp.

"But you can do things like, I don't know, ignore me for a week?! Say that my orientation is something bad?!"

"You completely misunderstood what I was trying to say! I panicked, okay? I didn't mean to ignore you!"

"Well then why'd you run off before?!"

" _Because the rumors were true!_ "

The room instantly went still and silent. Ness let his head hang, as he stared at the ground. He felt the grip on his arms loosen slightly, but he didn't move. Ness' heart began to pound, as he slowly looked up to meet Lucas' eyes. Lucas didn't look upset anymore, nor did he look shocked. He just looked confused. His mouth moved a bit, as if he was trying to find words, but no sound came out. All around them, their friends looked bewildered, except for Ninten, who had a small, but noticeable smile just barely showing on his face. When Ness made eye contact with him, Ninten nodded his head in encouragement.

Lucas finally managed to find words. "...But...what? No they weren't, you and I were never..."

"No I mean...! Dammit..." Ness exhaled and tried again, "They  _were_  true...on  _my_  part, I mean."

Again, silence. Lucas only stared at him, still confused. Slowly, one by one, the others began to realize what Ness meant. Behind him, Ness could hear Ana quietly gasp. Beside Lucas, Ness could see Claus' eyes widening, but they weren't filled with anger, like he'd expected. Instead, they seemed to glint with...excitement.

"I don't...understand." Lucas murmured, "The rumors said you and I were in love, how could it be true on your pa-" Lucas froze. The puzzlement in his face slowly turned to surprise. As he came to a realization, understanding what Ness meant, his mouth fell open in shock. Again, he searched for words. He looked Ness up and down in disbelief. He softly shrugged off Claus and Jeff's hands. Ness could see the bridge of his nose turning red. Finally, Lucas spoke again, "Wait..." He breathed. Ness wasn't able to tell, but he could've sworn he saw him smiling. "Wait...Ness,  _really?_ "

Sheepishly, Ness nodded, also brushing off his captors. If Lucas wasn't smiling before, he was now. There was a small hint of hopefulness in his eyes. He looked as if he were about to say something, but Ness instinctively spoke first.

"Y-You weren't supposed to find out." He said.

"I wasn't...?" Replied Lucas, "Why?"

"Luc, come on. Think about it. Me? You? It wouldn't  _work._ " Ness explained, every word stinging like a knife. The smile slowly fell away from Lucas' face.

"W-what?" Lucas' voice was almost a whisper, "Why not?"

' _Shit...'_  Ness thought, realizing that Lucas' voice was trembling, ' _...He...He likes me back, doesn't he?_ ' He realized. He would've expected this to fill him with nothing but joy, but it only made everything hurt even more. He spoke out loud, "Well, just think! Think about who I used to be, Lucas! What if you and I got together, and then I went back to being  _him?_ " Ness insisted.

"But you wouldn't! That's not you anymore, it never will be!" Lucas protested.

"But what if? The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Lucas! I never,  _ever_  want to hurt you again! And if we were to go so far as being in a relationship, and then I..." Ness trailed off, not even wanting to think about it. He shook his head, "It...just wouldn't work."

With that, Ness looked away, gripping at his own sleeves. Lucas took a moment to process it, before drawing in a weak, shaky breath.

"...Y-yeah, okay..." Lucas breathed, nodding his head, "I get it...Alright..." He brushed a hand through his hair, before turning back to the table and grabbing his jacket and bag. "That's too bad, because, um...I was...I was gonna..." Lucas choked. Ness could tell he was on the brink of tears, even though he was looking away from him. "I...I gotta go." Lucas took off, half walking, half jogging to the exit. Ness only kept his back turned, and winced at the sound of the door closing.

"Wait, Lucas!" It was Claus who ran a few steps, before slowing down to a stop. He sadly stared on, letting Lucas get away. Slowly, he turned back to face Ness, who was still looking away. He approached him with a look of confusion and irritation, before raising one hand. Ness glanced up, and took a step back, not wanting to receive whatever Claus had in store. However, to his surprise, Claus connected his index finger and thumb, raised it to the side of Ness' head, and flicked him.

Ness flinched at the sharp pain, "Ow!" He put a hand to the spot, "Um...dude?! What the hell was that?"

"What the hell was  _that?!_ " Claus demanded, gesturing back towards the door. Ness blinked, before continuing.

"I did what I had to do." He claimed.

"Oh, come  _on_. You just gave up  _Lucas?_  I knew you were an idiot, but this is just a new level for you." Claus hissed. Ness, taken aback, raised his hands up in defense.

"You're in no room to talk, alright? You're the one who tried to get rid of me at first!" Ness accused.

"...I...I did, at first. Lucas said that I could trust you, but I didn't listen to him..." Claus admitted, rubbing his arm opposite shamefully, "But I stopped. I stopped, because..." Claus didn't answer.

"Because why?" Ness asked. He'd never seen Claus this vulnerable before. Claus sighed.

"I saw you two."

"What?"

"On prom night. I saw you." Revealed Claus, averting his eyes. Ness' heart dropped.

"You saw us?!" He nearly cried.

"Yes. I went outside to get some air, and I saw you two, out on the basketball court..."

"Why didn't you stop us?"

"Shit, I was just about to! I was ready to get you away from him for good!" Claus insisted. His voice softened, "But...then I saw Lucas. Ness, I don't know if you saw it, but he was smiling.  _Big._  I...I can't remember the last time I saw him smile that big." Claus' face seemed absent minded, as if he was thinking about something else. "Being there, with you holding him? That made him happy..." Claus paused, " _...You_  make him happy. And I don't know what kind of brother I'd be if I took that away from him."

Ness was warmed by Claus' words, but he shook his head, "But we wouldn't work, I already told you. You heard."

"Ness, do you know Lucas at all? As his best friend, I'd expect you to learn a thing or two about him!" Claus snapped, "He doesn't care. You worry so much about the past, while Lucas keeps his eyes on the present. How do you think he recovered after our parents died? After I went missing? Hm? He just kept looking forward. He just doesn't care about who you used to be, because like he said, that  _isn't you_  anymore."

"...But what if I hurt him?" Ness quietly murmured.

"You won't. But even if the stars aligned, pigs flew, hell froze over, and you somehow managed to sell your soul to Satan himself to turn back into whoever you were earlier this school year, Lucas would know what to do. He knows how to defend himself and leave, and you need to trust that. You  _do_  trust him, don't you?" Claus asked, narrowing his eyes.

Ness hesitated, "...Yes. With all my heart."

"Then it'll work. You and him. Ness, listen up." Claus returned to his brash tone, "I didn't go through nearly three months of Lucas coming home and talking about you, and  _only you_ , for nine hours every night just so that I could find out you turned him down. Out of all the people on this Earth, all 7 billion, he fell in love with  _you._  Because  _you_  make him happy."

Ness' heart raced. "You think so?"

"I know so. And...at the end of the day, isn't that what we want? For Lucas to be happy? I mean..." Claus backed up and gestured to their friends, "...After everything he did for all of us?"

"He taught me to love myself." Travis suddenly piped up.

"He was always there for me." Paula added.

"He gave me Claus." Ninten said.

"He helped me through the hardest part of my life." Claus finished. "If it weren't for Lucas...I wouldn't be here right now. You know why? Because I'd be dead. Because I would've ended it. But through everything, he stayed right by my side, and...I lived. And now...now, I've got this." Claus motioned all around him. He took Ninten's hand, "I've got Nelson. I'm going to school. All because of Lucas."

Ness turned to look around himself. Around him, he saw his friends. People he could safely call his friends, all because of Lucas. He was on good terms with his father, he had a safe home, he was happier, and it was all because of him. "...He deserves to be happy." He whispered. Claus nodded. He took a few steps forward, and put a hand on Ness' shoulder.

"Ness. Lucas is...a once in a lifetime, blink and you miss it, once in a blue moon _experience_  of a boy," Claus told him, his voice sincere and genuine, "Who loves you. With all of his being, that boy loves you. And you just  _gave him up?_ " He asked. Ness didn't answer, but he could feel adrenaline begin to set in. Claus continued, his voice hushed, "...What are you gonna do about that?" He asked.

Ness looked down at the floor, a realization finally hitting him. Feeling lightheaded, he put a hand to his head and took in a heavy breath. He looked at his friends. He looked at Ninten, who once again nodded. The burning in his heart turned to energy.

" _I must be out of my god damn mind...!_ " Ness muttered, before breaking into a sprint and taking off towards the exit door, not bothering to grab his things.

Claus silently watched him go, a bittersweet smile on his face. Ninten slowly walked up beside him, intertwining his fingers with Claus'.

"You sure?" He murmured, looking down at the red head. Claus hesitated, once again looking at the door. After a second of thinking, he smiled.

"Yeah." He decided, "I think Ness is good for him."

And with that, the group of friends held their breath and crossed their fingers, knowing that these two belonged with each other.

* * *

" _Lucas!_ "

Ness' call rang through the hallways, which had long since emptied after the school day had ended. Ness desperately sprinted as fast as he could, scanning each hall and looking into every classroom hoping to catch sight of the blond. As his efforts grew more and more useless, he began to lose hope. He prayed to any god he could think of that Lucas hadn't already taken off on the bus, but he realized that he probably wouldn't have done that without Claus.

After ten minutes of searching, Ness had patrolled the entire building. He stopped in the main foyer, stressfully grabbing at his hair. Suddenly, a voice startled him.

"Nesley?"

Ness cried out; it was his mother. She approached him, concerned.

"Ah, mom...!" Ness said.

"Honey, why are you all hysterical? What happened?" His mother asked.

"Mom! Mom, listen! Have you seen Lucas anywhere?" Ness asked, as he caught his breath.

"Lucas? Oh, yes! I saw him exit through the back door." His mother answered, pointing to the back hallway. Ness instantly booked it towards the back doors. His mom called after him, "Sweetie, what's wrong? What're you doing?"

"I'm kinda in love with him, and I gotta go tell him that! Bye!" Ness shouted back, not turning to look at her.

Ignoring the burning in his lungs, he continued to run until he spotted the back doors, which he flung open. Upon bursting outside, he looked around.

"Lucas, are you still here?!" He cried, desperately. He ran to the front of the school, then back around to the court and field. Nothing. Defeated, Ness leaned back against the brick wall of the school and stood there alone, panting. "No...god dammit..." He muttered to himself. He was too late.

However, a sudden memory hit him. Somehow, in an instant, Ness knew where Lucas was. He didn't know how, but he didn't care. He jogged to the back of the school, and towards what he was looking for; a patch of trees. Upon approaching them, he focused on one tree in particular; a familiar pine. On the opposite side of the pine tree was a vague, but unmistakable shape.

It was Lucas.

Overwhelmed with happiness and relief, Ness began to slow down to a walk as he neared the trees. A sudden horror came into his mind; what was he going to say? He still reluctantly approached the pine tree, knowing that whatever happened, it would be alright.

And there he was, sitting at the base of the tree, knees pulled up to his chest, facing away from Ness. His platinum blond hair fluttered softly, as he sat quietly. Ness knew that Lucas was aware of his presence. He opened his mouth to talk, but said nothing. At a loss for words, Ness simply knelt down and sat on the other side, facing the opposite direction. He felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest with how fast it was going.

After nearly half a minute of silence, Ness sighed.

"Lucas, I..." He began. Before he could speak again, he was interrupted.

"Ness, tell me something. Be honest. Am I..." Lucas paused, "...Am I...boring?" His voice was quiet and emotionless.

"What?" Ness asked, shocked, "Lucas, no. You're not boring, who told you that?"

"No one, no one...it was just a thought." Lucas replied. Ness didn't say anything else. He had an idea of who told Lucas something like that, but he didn't bring it up. He sighed, grabbing his hair.

"Lucas, listen...I'm _so sorry,_  I just..."

"You don't have anything to apologize for."

"Yes I do! I'm sorry for everything. I really didn't want to ignore you, I just make a stupid choice with dumb reasoning, and...I turned you down..." Ness muttered.

"Ness, you don't need to be sorry for that. If you don't want to be with someone, then that's you're choice." Lucas replied, sounding as if he was close to crying. Ness could tell he'd already been crying, due to how tired his voice sounded and the sniffles coming from the other side.

"But that's just the thing, I  _do_  want to be with you! I really,  _really_  do!" Ness insisted. Lucas paused, confused.

"...Then why'd you...?" He asked.

"Because I was being an idiot! I...I do that sometimes." Ness admitted with a nervous laugh, "...I didn't trust you, and I didn't trust myself. But that's what you need in a relationship; Trust. And I trust you. I really do want to be with you. I'm not lying."

"You do?" Lucas asked.

"One hundred percent." Ness confirmed.

There was a bit of silence again. To Ness' dismay, he heard the sound of Lucas standing up. Thinking that he was getting up to walk away, he sighed. But his spirits were lifted when Lucas instead rounded the tree and sat down next to him, close enough so that their arms were touching. Lucas bashfully looked up at him through his pale eyelashes. Ness felt his face flush.

"I'm sorry too." Lucas murmured, his blue eyes calm and soft. "For everything."

"It's okay." Ness replied. He gave him a small smile, and Lucas returned it, before scooting even closer.

The two said nothing for a few minutes. The only sounds were that of the rustling trees and the leaves on the grown blowing to and fro. Ness savoured the warmth of his friend next to him. He prayed that Lucas couldn't feel his entire body shaking, and he prayed even harder that he couldn't see the very obvious blush on his face. Ness squirmed nervously, and Lucas noticed this. He grinned, with a small, subtle laugh.

"I really like you, Ness." He whispered. "A lot."

"Y-you too." Ness stammered, "I, uh...I l-like you too. A lot."

Lucas' grin turned to a genuine smile. He gently rested his head on Ness' shoulder. Ness felt a shiver go up his body. They'd done this before, but it was different this time. He wondered if Lucas' mind was racing just as much as his own. He felt like all of the happiness in the world was being granted to him at this very minute. Hesitantly, he inched his hand closer to Lucas', just barely touching his fingers.

"Hm?" Lucas hummed.

"S-sorry..." Ness pulled his hand away.

However, Lucas reached over and took his hand anyway, intertwining their fingers. He looked up at Ness, and squeezed his hand. Ness smirked.

" _Omigod._ " He thought, " _We're holding hands. We are holding hands, this is not a drill. His hand is currently in my hand._ " His breathing grew heavier. He rubbed Lucas' hand with his thumb, still unable to believe what was happening. Even though Lucas' hand was nearly two times smaller than his, they still seemed to fit together. Overcome with emotion, Ness felt the need to speak.

"Luc?"

"Yeah?"

"I never said thank you." Ness began, "You...kinda changed my life for the better. It's because of you that I'm...happy. I'm really, really happy. If I hadn't met you, I don't know what would've happened, and I'm just really grateful that you stayed by me the whole time, and believed in me when no one else did. And I never, ever said thank you, so I just wanted to-"

"Ness."

Lucas' sudden interruption startled Ness.

"Huh?"

"I didn't just confess to you so that I could hear your annoying voice some more." Lucas teased, amusement in his eyes, "So are you gonna keep talking, like a scaredy cat, or are you gonna man up and kiss me?" He asked, smirking mischievously.

Ness' eyes widened, he hadn't been expecting that. He backed up nervously.

"Wait, what? I-I, um...I didn't...I mean, if you...we can...uh...I wasn't...!" He stumbled, hopelessly loosing each word that he tried to say. Lucas only watched him stammer in amusement. Ness finally fell silent, giving up. He shamefully looked at the ground, pouting. Lucas snickered.

" _Scaredy cat._ " He repeated, whispering. Ness turned to him, pretending to look offended.

"I am not!" He protested.

He and Lucas held anticipated eye contact for a few seconds. Ness noticed that he was still holding his hand, which was also trembling. He felt comforted, knowing that he was just as nervous.

" _...Can_  I kiss you, though?" Ness asked, wanting to make sure. He already knew the answer, and had already leaned in close.

Lucas only replied by rolling his eyes, and gentley pressing his lips to Ness', and putting his hand around the back of his neck. Ness did the same, tilting his head to the side. The pace of his heart slowed down, and the shaking in his hands subsided. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the presence of each other. It was Lucas who pulled away first. Ness slowly opened his eyes. Though they had parted, their faces were still close, and they didn't move their hands.

Lucas giggled a bit.

"Heh...what?" Ness asked, his voice hushed.

"Remember the last time we did this out here?" Lucas asked, "Remember how I freaked out because my first kiss was with the guy who punched me in the mouth?"

"Pfft, yeah." Ness snickered.

"Well...now the guy who punched me in the mouth is my boyfriend." Lucas said, his voice teasing. Ness laughed, half nervously, half amused.

"O-oh, right...heh...I guess you and I, we're...kind of a thing, now? I guess?"

"Well, you  _did_  say you wanted to be with me."

"I do."

"Well, there you go. Congratulations, you've been promoted to 'boyfriend' level."

The two laughed together for a few seconds. Ness couldn't help but softly kiss him again, savouring the feeling. Lucas, though caught off guard at first, deepened it by wrapping his arms around Ness' shoulders, stroking his fingers down the back of his neck. Ness trailed his hand slowly down Lucas' back, and ran it back up again. He'd never felt this way before. He'd never had a feeling that convinced him that everything would always be okay, that nothing could go wrong anymore. The kiss was longer and more sensual this time. When they had parted again, both found that their breathing was heavier.

"Amateur." Ness smirked, touching his forehead to Lucas'.

"Shut up, I'm not the one who tried to choke someone with my tongue." Lucas murmured.

"Oh, please. You're still mad? Still? I didn't even do that this time."

You were close. Keep away from my gag reflex, won't you?" Lucas exaggerated, laughing, " _That's for something else._ "

" _Lucas Flintly Dolray!_ " Ness cried, swatting at him, both out of embarrassment and playfulness.

After another brief period of snickers between the two, Ness sighed, and looked back towards the school.

"...How do you think the school's gonna react?" He asked.

"They're probably gonna freak. Like, you just spent the past week trying to prove that you and I weren't dating. There's a plot twist for you, if you ask me." Lucas said, laying his head on Ness' shoulder again.

"Yikes, probably." Agreed Ness.

"How do you think the school's gonna react to you being...y'know? Everyone knows I'm gay, I'm not worried. But you...You said it yourself, you've got a huge reputation. You're probably gonna face a lot of teasing." Lucas trailed off, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing. Ness thought to himself for a few moments. A small twitch of anxiety nipped at him, but it quickly disappeared. He look down at Lucas and grinned.

"You know what? Who gives a fuck? Because I sure don't." He boasted. "Why should I be bothered if people tease me about something I'm proud of?"

"You're not even a little scared?" Lucas asked, pleased with Ness' confidence.

"I mean, a little. I've never been in a relationship with a guy." Ness said.

"And I've only been in one other relationship before, and that was-" Lucas cut himself off, frowning, and looking at the ground. Ness gave him a sympathetic glance, nudging him.

"Hey. Look at me." He prompted. Lucas obliged. "I'll  _never_  be like him, okay?" Ness promised, "I'll never stoop that low again."

"It's so strange, how you managed to change so much, but you're still the same old Ness. Remember the beginning of the school year?" Lucas asked.

"Ew, don't remind me." Scoffed Ness, sticking his tongue out. He smiled, "You've changed too, you know. You're...bolder. Would you have even  _thought_  of punching Zack McConnell earlier this year?"

"Heh, no..."

"Yeah. You changed. So did I." Ness whispered, burying his face into Lucas' straw coloured hair. "Thank you again, Lucas. I would've been the same old depressed king of anger management problems if it weren't for you. I'm...I'm glad I have you in my life."

"I knew you were a good person from the start, you just needed help." Lucas murmured, "...I'm glad I have you too. I wanna stay with you, Ness. Always."

Ness put an arm around him and pulled him close, squeezing his shoulder. He stared up at the clear sky, which had a slight orange tint. The trees around them softly swayed, as the wind seemed to calm down. With a warmth in his heart and a newfound sense of self worth, Ness let his eyes drift closed. Life really was perfect, he thought. He had a home, someone to live with, and was able to see his beloved sister every day. He had rekindled the lost relationship with his father. He was on his way to getting his old job back. He had friends. He had happiness. And most of all, he had Lucas. He thought back to day one, and everything that had happened since, and what had changed. He smiled.

"I'm glad you ran into me in the hallway."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! This story is so special to me, so I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you for reading!


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